Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has come under intense scrutiny following Sunday’s sobering 5-0 home defeat at the hands of Liverpool
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Liverpool’s record 5-0 win at Man Utd: Solskjaer at ‘rock bottom’
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to be in charge for Manchester United ’s trip to Tottenham on Saturday with the manager arriving at the club’s training ground on Tuesday morning.
The Red Devils were thrashed 5-0 by Liverpool on Sunday, with reports suggesting that the nature of the loss could see Solskjaer lose his post after almost three years in charge.
On Monday, it is understood Richard Arnold, Ed Woodward and Joel Glazer held urgent talks in the aftermath of the debacle against Jurgen Klopp’s side.
United’s players were given a scheduled day off as they have a rare free midweek thanks to their elimination from the Carabao Cup in the previous round.
Solskjaer meanwhile, was beginning the autopsy on what was one of United’s most humiliating defeats in recent history.
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The Norwegian was adamant that he would not throw in the towel himself, suggesting his squad were ‘close’ to where he wanted them to be.
Speaking after the loss to Liverpool, he said: “I do believe in myself, I do believe that I am getting close to what I want with the club.
“It’s not easy to say something, apart from it’s the darkest day I’ve had leading these players.
“It’s mine [responsibly for the loss] – that’s it,” he added. “The coaching staff are brilliant, and I choose the way we approach the game and today, we weren’t clinical enough going forward.
“There were spaces for both teams, and when you give good players spaces, they score.
“You can look back at last season when we lost 6-1 to Spurs – this is miles worse.
“The opposition as well, that makes it miles worse for me as a Manchester lad, and we have to get over this as quick as we can and move on.”
Speculation quickly emerged that Old Trafford bosses could be forced into the decision to move on from Solskjaer, despite handing him a new deal only this summer.
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Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte swiftly became the bookmakers’ favourite to replace the current manager, claiming that initial contact had been made.
However, it is believed that Solskjaer will be given another chance to salvage the project he has been building since taking over from Jose Mourinho at the end of 2018.
Manchester Evening News claim that while there has been some consideration regarding sacking the manager, for now at least, he retains the support of club decision makers.
Solskjaer arrived before the majority of his squad as he and his staff start to formulate a plan to help turn their season around.
Just last month, executive vice-chairman Woodward publicly backed the manager claiming the summer transfer activity – which saw Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo arrive – signified their belief in the ex-Cardiff City boss.
“We significantly strengthened the squad over the summer, with the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Tom Heaton,” Woodward told investors in September.
“These signings have demonstrated our continued ability to attract some of the world’s best footballers to Old Trafford, and our firm commitment to helping Ole deliver success on the pitch.
“We were delighted to welcome back Cristiano to the club, along with Raphael, Jadon and Tom, to further reinforce the progress that our first team has been making under Ole.”