West Ham have sacked manager Manuel Pellegrini following a 2-1 home defeat to Leicester City.

Speaking to the club, joint-chairman David Sullivan said: "It is with great disappointment that we've had to make this decision.

"Manuel is a gentleman and it has been a real pleasure to work with someone of his calibre.

"However, it has become clear that that a change is required to get the club back on track in line with our ambitions this season.

"We felt it was necessary to act now in order to give the new manager as much time as possible to try and achieve that goal."

Pellegrini was appointed as manager back in May 2018 and guided the club to a 10th placed finish last season.

But the Hammers currently sit 17th in the Premier League and have won just two of the last 13 league games.

David Moyes is now the frim favourite to take over, having already had a spell as manager of the club during the 2017/18 season.