Reading manager Paul Ince was sacked on Tuesday after his struggling side plunged into the Championship relegation zone.
Former Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder Ince paid the price for Reading's woeful run of eight games without a win.
Noel Hunt, a former Reading player, has been placed in charge of the Royals until the end of the season.
"Reading Football Club can confirm that the contract of first-team manager Paul Ince has been terminated with immediate effect. Assistant manager Alex Rae has also departed the club," a Reading statement said.
"Our Under-21s manager and former Royals striker, Noel Hunt, has been installed as interim first-team manager until the end of the season."
Ince was initially hired by Reading on interim basis in February 2022 before earning the manager's job on a permanent basis.
But Ince, who has also managed Blackburn, MK Dons, Notts County and Blackpool, was unable to stop Reading's decline in the second half of this season.
Reading were deducted six points last week after breaching the terms of a business plan set by the English Football League, which had also hit the club with a transfer embargo.
The Royals are one point from safety with five games left after a 2-1 defeat at Preston on Monday brought the curtain down on Ince's reign.
