Solskjaer future in the balance but Man United not tempted by Conte move

There was no official support from Manchester United’s hierarchy or ownership yesterday to rule out the possibility that under-fire manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may soon be dismissed

There was no official support from Manchester United’s hierarchy or ownership yesterday to rule out the possibility that under-fire manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may soon be dismissed. Picture: Oli Scarff

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future as Manchester United manager remained uncertain last night, with the club tight-lipped over the beleaguered Norwegian’s fate.

Sunday’s astonishing 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool had placed Solskjaer’s job security under the spotlight as he approaches his third anniversary in charge at Old Trafford.

Sources close to former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte have already indicated that the Italian would relish the challenge of replacing Solskjaer — although United are believed to be against such an appointment.

Details emerged yesterday that players are starting to lose faith in their manager, who remains a popular personality at the club and among his supporters, despite recent failures.

But his lack of leadership, tactical acumen, and failure to address shortcomings in his coaching staff have all driven Solskjaer’s relationship with his players to breaking point.

Tellingly, there was no official support from the club’s hierarchy or ownership yesterday to rule out the possibility of Solskjaer being dismissed.

In recent months, when his job status has come into question, there have usually been public or private briefings confirming the club’s support for Solskjaer.

But, on this occasion there were no such assurances, sparking speculation that Solskjaer could even leave before Saturday’s visit to Tottenham.

It may not have helped Solskjaer’s cause yesterday when England international full-back Luke Shaw issued an apology for his own part in Sunday’s humiliation while appearing to cast doubt on Solskjaer’s ability to prepare the team.

“I think it’s ourselves that we need to look at, first and foremost, in the mirror,” said Shaw.

“Are we doing everything right and preparing right for the games in ourselves?

“Of course we have the tactics and how the manager wants us to play, but I think at times we’re way too easy to play against. I think, for example, you look at the first goal, it can’t be possible that they can have sort of three running through in the first five minutes. We need to be more compact, we need to be better and we know that.

“I think also maybe we can say this result was coming. I think in past games where we’ve won, we haven’t been at our best and we know that.

“We felt that inside the dressing room and today, we need to reflect and we have to move on from this because it hurts.”

As the fall-out from United’s biggest ever home defeat to Liverpool continued yesterday, dressing room sources also pointed to dissatisfaction in the ranks.

Players have become increasingly unhappy with United’s defensive weaknesses and the treatment of £35m (€41.5m) midfielder Donny van de Beek who has played just four league games in 14 months at United.

There were questions over Solskjaer’s decision to select Harry Maguire for the recent defeat at Leicester, despite the skipper clearly being unfit.

Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted at his dissatisfaction with some of the club’s younger stars and appears to be struggling to strike up an on-field understanding with Mason Greenwood.

The fact that TV cameras focus on superstar Ronaldo’s disgusted look with every goal United have conceded in recent weeks has added to the sense that the Portuguese’s return to Old Trafford has not been a happy one.

And the lack of veteran coaching staff among Solskjaer’s assistants has also been highlighted by players, and critics alike, who have been baffled by the lack of coherent play being shown by United.

Ultimately, there is none of the dressing room rancour that ruined the final days of Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho’s reigns, but Solskjaer’s credibility may have taken a blow from which it cannot recover among players.

In the meantime, speculation has mounted about a potential exit strategy for Solskjaer, and likely successors.

Conte is believed to be the sort of high-maintenance, high-profile manager who is seen in the van Gaal and Mourinho moulds and, therefore, does not appeal to the United board.

Zinedine Zidane is the only other major global managerial figure currently available but is considered too much of a gamble and his lack of coaching prowess is believed to count against him in United’s eyes.

Solskjaer has represented a new approach at Old Trafford, a return to core values and re-establishing the club’s “DNA.” With that in mind, Solskjaer may survive this catastrophe for a little while and the owners, the Glazer family, seek assurances that the situation can be turned around. The possibility of new coaching appointments to work under Solskjaer has been mentioned as one such option.

After Saturday’s trip to Tottenham, United face an important Champions League visit to Atalanta and the first Manchester derby of the season, at Old Trafford on November 6.

And while the goodwill built by Solskjaer in his 25 years with the club counts for a lot, many more afternoons such as the one United endured on Sunday and his departure may become inevitable.