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After nearly three years and 168 games in charge, Manchester United have parted ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian's time at Old Trafford has been one of positivity and renewed hope, but no trophies or any real success to show for it.
Solskjaer's sacking also turns the heat back on United's board of directors, who got yet another managerial appointment wrong. The Glazer brothers, who own the club, and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, have long been accused of prioritising commercial prosperity over performances on the pitch.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was only a part of Manchester United's problems
While there's no denying that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked out of depth at Old Trafford, there are bigger problems at Manchester United.
Sacking a manager is much easier than replacing an entire squad or finding a new set of directors for off-field matters. But the club's players and board are also responsible for the current malaise.
On that note, here are five drastic changes Manchester United need to make to return to the pinnacle of English football.
#5 Appoint a long-term manager
Since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, Manchester United have employed four permanent managers in almost eight seasons. While the cycle of constant change has done wonders for Chelsea, The Blues' ruthless ownership and choice of managers has been superior to that of the Old Trafford top brass.
Manchester United are stuck between two ideologies. While they aren't as cut-throat as the likes of Chelsea and PSG, The Red Devils haven't emulated the long-term building of Liverpool and Manchester City. Gone are the days when Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger ruled over clubs for decades. 'Long term' has a different meaning in football today.
Liverpool employed Jurgen Klopp back in 2015, while Pep Guardiola arrived in Manchester a year later. Reports suggest Manchester United have always wanted a stable, long-term manager. But the board's actions, such as sacking Louis van Gaal right after the 2016 FA Cup win and refusing to back Jose Mourinho in the transfer market a few years later, show they are doing a bad job of it.
Not only do Manchester United need to pick the right manager, but they also need to do more to support the head coach in the seat of power.
#4 Appoint a director of football
The Director of Football, or sporting director, is typically in charge of making major decisions at a football club, such as transfer strategy and managerial appointments. Manchester City employed Txiki Begiristain, while PSG are led by Leonardo Araujo for that role. Hasan Salihamidzic is the sporting director at Bayern Munich, while Michael Zorc handles such affairs at Borussia Dortmund.
The common factor uniting these names is that they are all former professional players. Meanwhile, investment banker and accounts expert Ed Woodward is the chief decision-maker at Manchester United.
A background in football is not a necessity. Michael Edwards at Liverpool and Chelsea's Marina Granovskaia have been immensely successful in their own right. But the fact is that Manchester United are run by figures more accustomed to finances than football.
Edwin van der Sar, who is doing a terrific job as CEO of Ajax, has been touted as a potential DoF for Manchester United. However, that remains a pipe dream as Richard Arnold, a British accountant, is widely expected to take over from Ed Woodward when the United supremo steps down at the end of the year.
#3 Manchester United need new ownership
The Glazers, an American business family, have been the majority owners of Manchester United since 2005. The late Malcolm Glazer and his sons Joel and Avram are the figures who have been most involved with the club during the family's time as owners.
Without delving deep into financial intricacies, the simplest explanation is that Manchester United have been nothing more than a cash cow for the Glazers. The club, which was debt-free at the time, was taken over by the Glazers with the help of massive loans. They then saw the club's debt rise substantially over the next decade.
The ownership continues to be resented and widely unpopular throughout the Manchester United fanbase. While the issue of debt is the main problem, supporters of the club have also blamed the owners for their lack of involvement and interest in the daily functioning of the club.
Another major area of contention is the fact that the owners seem to be content with footballing failure as long as the club is commercially successful.
#2 Adopt a clear transfer strategy
For most of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United reign, the club seemed to have a fixed transfer policy. After Jose Mourinho's insistence on targets in their prime such as Alexis Sanchez and Ivan Perisic, Manchester United chose to focus on younger signings under Solskjaer.
While there has been improvement, Manchester United's transfer business still seems hit-or-miss. The club signed Jadon Sancho after targeting him for over a year as a solution to their right-wing problems. But Mason Greenwood has played on the right this year, while Sancho has been shuffled around.
The club also signed Edinson Cavani late in the window last year, while Cristiano Ronaldo returned in a shock last-ditch move this summer.
Yes, these are good players, but it shows that Manchester United still tend to panic in the transfer market, miss out on targets, and then throw large fees or wages in desperation. While decent signings at the time, Manchester United overpaid for Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, spending £130 million on the underperforming duo.
It is no secret that Manchester United are in desperate need of a defensive midfielder. Ruben Neves was linked with the club for months earlier this year, but no deal went through, despite Ronaldo's late arrival. Formulating a transfer strategy is one thing, but implementing it with confidence is another. Manchester United have taken the first step, but not with any real conviction.
#1 Manchester United need to move on from the Sir Alex Ferguson era
Arguably no manager has shaped a football club for as long as Sir Alex Ferguson did. The Manchester United boss spent over two glorious decades at the club, winning practically everything.
Unfortunately, Manchester United seem obsessed with looking at the past rather than focusing on the future. 'Manchester United DNA' and 'The United Way' are two of the most popular terms that have been thrown about increasingly often by the club's PR team since Ferguson stepped down in 2013.
In the past, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho were criticised for not playing the United way. Their successor Solskjaer would often claim he wanted his teams to play the way Manchester United should. Most recently, the club's board of directors rejected Antonio Conte, believing he was not a manager in the mould of the club's DNA.
Manchester United's determination to keep Solskjaer in the job, hoping he would succeed, was driven by a desire to bring about the good old days. Rather than attempting to reconstruct a pale imitation of their former manager's unparalleled reign, United would be better off forging a new path forward.
