Manchester United face forking out millions to pay off Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's backroom staff

Manchester United face paying out millions after they handed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s coaching staff new three-year contracts only weeks before sacking him.

As Sportsmail revealed, assistant Mike Phelan signed a new deal last month, and sources have now disclosed that he was followed by the rest of the coaching team, including Michael Carrick - now caretaker boss - first-team coach Kieran McKenna and goalkeeper coach Richard Hartis.

The logic for the move will be questioned given doubts had already been raised about Solskjaer’s future.

Now he has been fired, it is likely any new manager would bring in his own staff, meaning compensation pay-outs to Solskjaer’s men running into millions.

Sources say that the deals were agreed in the summer, when Solskjaer signed his extension, and that it took time for the finer details to be ironed out.

They added that the owners were principled when it came to discussing contracts and were unlikely to renege on agreed deals, despite the fact the club’s form had nosedived.

Until recently, Solskjaer retained the full backing of United’s board.

There remained a desire to stick with him until the end of the season, but Saturday’s humiliating 4-1 defeat at Watford made his position untenable and the axe fell.

United face a substantial financial headache, with sources saying that lots of players are keen for wholesale changes on the coaching side.

Old Trafford bosses are looking for an interim manager until the end of the season.

Even if the coaching staff remain until then, it is likely that the next permanent manager would oversee a costly clear-out.