Should Manchester United sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer? | OneFootball

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Onefootball·16 May 2019

Should Manchester United sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?

Article image:Should Manchester United sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?

Were Manchester United too hasty in appointing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their permanent manager back in March?

Should they now cut their losses and hire somebody whose last job wasn’t as manager of Molde FK?


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Two of our writers discuss whether Ole should lose his job.


Dan Burke – Solskjaer SHOULDN’T be sacked

There are a number of reasons I feel Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves a chance to prove his worth at Manchester United next season.

First of all, the Norwegian took over a team which was in complete disarray under José Mourinho and whose chances of finishing in the top four were about as remote as me landing a date with Scarlett Johansson.

Alright, United ultimately finished sixth and five points behind Spurs thanks to that five-match winless run at the end of the season. But it’s highly doubtful they would have even got that close under Solskjaer’s predecessor and, given a full season’s run at it, the former striker could mount a proper assault on the top four.

Secondly, the way things are at Old Trafford at the moment, any manager in the world would probably struggle. The club is crying out for a technical director to come in and add some badly needed structure to proceedings.

Article image:Should Manchester United sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?

I’m not convinced by this talk of Darren Fletcher as technical director, and I’m definitely not convinced by Rio Ferdinand’s credentials for the role, but if they can appoint someone with a proven track record of delivering results in a similar position then the club could be back to competing for major honours again sooner than you think, even with Solskjaer as manager.

And while it became a bit of a punchline towards the end of this season, the fact Solskjaer has a deep understanding of United as a club is actually a very good quality to have.

He will at least try and play the attacking style of football the supporters crave. He will give young players a chance in the first-team. He won’t mind taking advice from Sir Alex Ferguson here and there. Not the worst mentor to have, is it?


Alex Mott – Solskjaer SHOULD be sacked

Article image:Should Manchester United sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?

Should Manchester United go into next season with Solskjaer as manager? It’s a complete and unequivocal ‘no’ from me.

When José Mourinho was sacked in December it made sense to appoint an interim boss who knew the club and could safely guide United to the end of the campaign.

It ended up in the Norwegian’s lap and his run of wins post-Christmas was nothing short of miraculous.

But it was clear, even then, that their form was never going to continue for long. His ‘we’re United, this is what we do’ shtick was just that, and it quickly got to a point where the former striker was becoming a parody of himself – a Brendan Rodgers without the envelopes.

Article image:Should Manchester United sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?

The comeback in Paris was clearly the peak, but it’s astonishing how United have just fallen off the cliff completely since then.

It’s obvious that there’s a lack of planning, tactical knowhow and motivation from inside the dressing room with Solskjaer so far out of his depth it’s amazing the RNLI haven’t been on the phone.

It may be embarrassing for those on high, but the sooner the United hierarchy on their sword and get rid of Solskjaer, the better it will be in the long run.