Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: the key questions that need to be answered around the ongoing saga at Man Utd

The Red Devils’ poor form in 2021/22 is the result of shifting standards at Old Trafford, writes football reporter Michael Plant, as he shares his view of what’s going on at the club.

It’s been a week of shifting narratives around Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

On Sunday night it looked like there was no serious threat of Solskjaer losing his position as Manchester United manager, yet by the following morning, leaks suggested a change may not be too far afoot.

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By Monday evening, reports in several major national outlets claimed the Norwegian was close to being removed from his dream job, while Antonio Conte was lined up as his would-be successor.

Later that night and the narrative had switched again. Now it was reported Solskjaer would remain in the post, claims which were further substantiated on Tuesday.

It leaves the United boss in a position where it’s widely believed he’s only a few defeats away from being replaced. The Times claim he is being judged ‘game by game’ and he could be deposed during the November international break.

Meanwhile, The Telegraph report Solskjaer has been given three games to save his job and, according to ESPN, he will almost certainly be relieved of his duties in the international break if results don’t significantly improve.

Accepting the unacceptable: our writer’s view

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If the reports are to be believed, it begs the question why the club’s hierarchy feel they need another three games to assess whether the Norwegian is the best man for the job, nearly three years since his initial appointment.

It’s indicative of how United have been run in recent years, where inadequate standards are accepted and everything feels too short term.

The fact that Lee Grant and Juan Mata signed new contracts in the summer is testament to that - what purpose do they play in this United squad? Why was Phil Jones, now fifth-choice centre-back - sixth, if on-loan Axel Tuanzebe is considered - handed a new deal in February 2019? Since then he’s played just 16 times for the Red Devils.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Credit: Getty.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Credit: Getty.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Credit: Getty.

Likewise, Eric Bailly penned an extension last season, yet Solskjaer is so apprehensive of deploying the No.3 he instead opted for a unfit Harry Maguire in the 4-2 loss to Leicester City earlier this month.

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Why is Andreas Pereira still technically a United player? What’s the point of both Jesse Lingard and Donny van de Beek residing on the bench? Why was Edinson Cavani handed a new contract in the summer to now play second fiddle to Cristiano Ronaldo?

Then there’s the stadium which, despite reports in certain parts of the press, is not a dilapidated, rusty tardis. Yet it certainly could benefit from a fresh lick of paint and several sleek modern features which grounds such as the Etihad and the Emirates boast.

Only in March did the club finally hire a Director of Football, something which is commonplace at most clubs, while many non-playing staff work off outdated computers.

Controlling the narrative

Returning to Solskjaer, and the mixed reports of his impending doom over the last 72 hours had been interspersed with claims from several outlets that the United manager has lost the trust and belief of his players.

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Reports that squad members had directly challenged Solskjaer, were talking about a change in management and believe he is out of his depth, were rife.

At the same time, leaks emerged about what was going on behind the scenes, where and when the Glazers were meeting with Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold, who was at training and what Sir Alex Ferguson thought of the saga.

It was a media circus, with hourly updates on, frankly, very little. Solskjaer remains in his job - for now - and nothing has changed at the club since the 5-0 drubbing by Liverpool.

To put a positive spin on the commotion since Sunday, it indicates just what an enormous institution United are and no other side in the country could cause such a media frenzy. Perhaps there’s also merit in the old adage that ‘there’s no such thing as bad publicity’, and it certainly keeps the club top of the sporting agenda and reinforces their relevance despite the lack of recent silverware.

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Yet, few hardcore supporters will see it this way, as their football club is reduced to little more than a soap opera played out in front of our eyes via social media and television. It also only increases the mocking from fans of other teams such as Liverpool and Manchester City.

There is a hope from the United board that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can turn it around. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)There is a hope from the United board that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can turn it around. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
There is a hope from the United board that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can turn it around. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

In addition, no club seem to have quite as many leaks and insider reports as United, and certain media outlets appear to have several sources willing to detail the inner workings of the team.

From my time as a United employee, this was a huge frustration of staff, many of whom bemoaned the constant flow of crucial information that became public knowledge. For instance, why players were allowed to be pictured arriving at the team hotel was regularly a source of irritation as it effectively handed the matchday squad to opposition managers, and only last week the United XI to face Atalanta was leaked by The Athletic earlier in the evening.

Admittedly, it’s symptomatic of today’s world where people want information immediately - we as the media play a huge role in this - but it’s astounding just how much of what goes on behind closed doors at United becomes public knowledge.

Fergie’s enduring legacy

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It’s certainly a different era from when Ferguson was in charge, even during his last years at the helm.

Yet while so much has changed at Old Trafford since 2013, his presence around the club has remained one of the few constants. As, in many ways, it should; this is England’s most-successful football manager and arguably the greatest of all-time.

But it does seem the former manager has too much influence on how club proceedings are carried out, and there’s certainly a case to claim running a football squad and a club are two very different organisations.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano tweeted on Tuesday to claim Ferguson was still in support of Solskjaer, but should that really be taken into consideration? The Scot doesn’t exactly have a stellar record of choosing managers since stepping aside himself.

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Regrettably, in football, ruthless decision-making is rewarded and United are a club completely void of that. Frank Lampard could have been given time to resurrect his managerial career at Chelsea, but was sacked in January this year. Incidentally, his world-class replacement Thomas Tuchel led the club to a Champions League trophy four months later.

Such logical processes remain absent at Old Trafford and the 48-hour period from Sunday afternoon to Tuesday is just another humiliating chapter of the post-Ferguson era, where profit margins and dividends seem significantly more important than what actually happens on the pitch.