BENGALURU: Manchester United are on the verge of sacking manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Watford left them seventh in the Premier League table, British media reported on Sunday.

United, who were top of the standings in September, have lost five of their last seven league matches to slip 12 points behind leaders Chelsea.

Solskjaer earned brief respite when United beat Tottenham Hotspur last month but chastening defeats by Leicester City, Liverpool, Manchester City and a Watford side hovering just above the relegation zone piled pressure on the Norwegian.

The Guardian reported that United's board held an emergency meeting on Saturday and co-chairman Joel Glazer gave the go-ahead for the club to part ways with Solskjaer, who signed a three-year contract extension until 2024 in July.

Goalkeeper David de Gea slammed United's display at Watford as "embarrassing" and a "nightmare after nightmare" while Solskjaer said after the game that he believed he could turn this around.

United play Villarreal away in the Champions League on Tuesday.