Alex Ferguson consulted by Manchester United as they aim to replace Jose Mourinho

It's been over five years since Alex Ferguson left his post at Old Trafford and still, Manchester United have not even come close to replacing the legendary Scot.

United are now in the process of recruiting their fifth manager since Ferguson's retirement after the ill-fated spells of Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and David Moyes, as well as the brief caretaker reign of Ryan Giggs. Mourinho was relieved of his duties as United boss on Tuesday morning, adding to the track record of Mourinho in the third season of clubs, and talk immediately moved to his successor. It's understood that the club will bring in a caretaker manager for the remainder of the season before a permanent appointment is made in the summer. Ex-Red Devils striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is favourite to take over on an interim basis, with the club's former assistant manager Mike Phelan widely tipped to rejoin the coaching staff. Should Solskjaer step in for the second half of the current campaign, he will almost certainly keep hold of coach Michael Carrick, and the Independent reports that Ferguson has been consulted with regards to United's attempts to replace Mourinho. Solskjaer is currently in charge of Molde but the Mirror claims that he has a clause in his contract which would entitle him to leave the Norwegian club if an offer arrived from United.