Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the club’s ex-assistant coach Mike Phelan are set to return to Old Trafford as caretaker managers until the end of the season, a source close to the club has told Reuters.

Premier League United sacked manager Jose Mourinho on Tuesday after having suffered their worst start to a season for 28 years.

Although United would neither confirm nor deny media reports about who would take charge, the source said Norwegian Solskjaer and Phelan were “clear front runners” and a decision would be made shortly.

Solskjaer, 45, played for United between 1996 and 2007 and is currently manager of Norwegian club Molde.

Phelan played for United under former manager Alex Ferguson between 1989 and 1994 and worked as a coach at Old Trafford for 14 years.