DAVID MOYES’ short-lived reign at Manchester United is over.

    The club confirmed yesterday morning that Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor had “left the club” after less than a season in charge.

    Ryan Giggs will assume responsibility for first-team affairs at Manchester United until a permanent manager is appointed.

    Moyes endured a miserable time in charge, with Sunday’s 2-0 loss at his former club Everton the latest setback.

    Announcing his departure in a terse, two line statement, United thanked Moyes for “the hard work, honesty and integrity he brought to the role.”

    Newspapers had earlier reported that Moyes would be sacked, trumpeting the “End of an Error” after the American owners, the Glazer family, lost patience and decided the manager had to go.

    Moyes, who turns 51 Friday, was appointed on the recommendation of fellow-Scot Ferguson, who retired at the end of last season after 26 years in the job.

    Speculation immediately turned to who might take over at Old Trafford, with Dutchman Louis van Gaal quickly installed as the bookmakers’ favorite.

    The former Barcelona, Ajax Amsterdam and Bayern Munich boss is coach of the Netherlands but has already said he will stand down after the World Cup in Brazil and has talked of a move to the Premier League.

    Ferguson had steered United to the title last season for the 13th time and the club’s 20th overall but the self-belief and confidence that had characterized his years in charge evaporated abruptly under Moyes.

    Former United stalwart Gary Neville suggested Moyes should have been given more time to make his mark and said the fault was not his alone.

    “The idea of giving people three and four and six year contracts and then getting rid of them after 10 months is something that is foreign to me,” he told Sky television.

    “However there is no disguising that the football this season has been poor, the results have been poor. As a fan, I’ve not enjoyed watching it.

    “I’ve played with a lot of those players, they love the club and are desperate to do well for the club but they’ve just completely lost confidence and belief.”

    Moyes’s sudden departure evoked memories of the traumatic spell the Old Trafford club suffered between 1969 and 1971 when Matt Busby retired after 24 years as boss.

    His hand-picked successor Wilf McGuinness only lasted 18 months before Busby took over the reins again.

    United won the Community Shield against FA Cup winners Wigan Athletic in Moyes’ first match in charge at Wembley in August before they launched the defense of their league title with a 4-1 win at Swansea City.

    The first alarm bells rang when the side was crushed 4-1 at home by Manchester City on Sept. 22 and defeat in its next home game to West Bromwich Albion, which had not won at Old Trafford since 1978, left the side 12th in the table.

    It was United’s worst start to a league season for a quarter-of-a-century.(SD-Agencies)