Results are going against Man United with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men dropping to sixth in the Premier League following defeats by bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester City
Video Unavailable
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reviews Manchester City defeat
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is rapidly running out of time at Manchester United.
On the pitch, results are going against the Red Devils, with Solskjaer’s men dropping to sixth in the Premier League following defeats by bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester City.
Off the pitch, the Norwegian is losing the crowd, with calls for him to be sacked.
The Manchester United boardroom is also paying close attention to Solskjaer’s situation, although he is not believed to be in immediate danger of being sacked.
Recent reports suggest Solskjaer is starting to lose the support of the Red Devils dressing room too, which would surely spell the end for the Norwegian.
(
Image:
Pool via REUTERS)
Do you think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves more time? Comment below
Former Manchester United striker, and a teammate of Solskjaer’s, Dimitar Berbatov, spoke out about the United manager’s predicament back in October and discussed the then brewing crisis.
He explained that Solskjaer wouldn’t be the only one rallying the troops and that certain individuals would take it upon themselves to challenge the dressing room.
He told Betfair: “Sometimes, the team can have crisis talk, only the players coming together in the dressing room to have a chat, I remember we used to do that back in the day with Gary Neville, Giggsy, Scholsey, Rooney and Rio would initiate talks like this in the dressing room, we would sit and chat and talk through problems.
“We would also talk after training or even when we were on the bikes doing a recovery session, we always used to speak about things and I’m sure they still do.”
Berbatov then discussed Solskjaer’s status amongst the players and pointed to his reputation as a Man United legend as a possible lifeline for when things get bad.
He added: “I still think the majority of the players at United still believe in Ole, the respect is too much. When the manager is an ex-footballer and a legend, they have that respect and trust from the players. Only up to a certain point though, and if you lose that respect it’s hard to get back but I still think Ole has a bit more until he reaches that point.”
(
Image:
Manchester United via Getty Imag)
Solskjaer certainly appears to be at the point discussed by Berbatov now, and whether the core of the United dressing room still respects and backs the Norwegian remains to be seen.
One man who reportedly remains on his side, for now, is Cristiano Ronaldo, which is a huge boost for the United boss.
Berbatov explained in October that poor performances would certainly frustrate the five-time Ballon d’Or winner who is used to success and silverware.
But added Ronaldo is a man Solskjaer can lean on in the dressing room during these difficult times.
“When you watch the game back you can see the frustration from Ronaldo, he was angry, desperate and disappointed with everything that was going on, he didn’t expect a thrashing. I bet he had a lot to say at half time and after the game,” said Berbatov.
“When you have players of Ronaldo’s stature in the team, they can have an honest conversation, and I hope they did, and strong words if they have to. Sometimes the manager will step back, and leave the players to talk it out, say what they want to each other so they can be free, and sometimes the manager may also get involved. In this case.”
(
Image:
PA)
As aforementioned, Woodward and the United board have no immediate plans to sack Solskjaer but a replacement plan has allegedly been made.
Ideally, Solskjaer will remain in the job until the end of the season, at which point his position will be evaluated and United may look to move him on.
However, if results continue to go against United then the board may be forced to act sooner than anticipated and Ralf Rangnick is reportedly a short-term option for United should the axe land on the Norwegian.