5 things Manchester United need to change under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

After finishing the 2019-20 season on a high and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, it looked like better days were finally on Manchester United's horizon. However, it was not to be as the board did not have any intention of backing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the transfer window.

Social media has been awash with Manchester United fans' discontentment over the same and the media scrutiny has certainly not helped. The lack of a pre-season and several other controversies away from the pitch meant that Manchester United started the new season off on the wrong foot.

Though we're only three games in, there are quite a few things that need turning around inside the Red Devils' dressing room. Without further ado, let's take a look at five things that Manchester United need to change under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

#5 Bench Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw in action against Brighton & Hove Albion

Now, this might be a little harsh because we have seen how important Luke Shaw can be to Manchester United. One could say that it was perhaps Luke Shaw's absence in the final stages of the UEFA Europa League that disadvantaged the Red Devils against Sevilla.

However, Luke Shaw has started off the new season on an abysmal note. Positionally, he has been way off. Shaw's decision making is horrendous whilst defending. He hasn't been able to combine with Rashford like he used to when Manchester United were thriving towards the latter part of last season.

The Englishman hardly ever puts a good cross in. In fact, Luke Shaw whipping in a lobbed ball into the box is almost unseen. Shaw needs to be benched immediately and new acquisition Alex Telles should be fielded in his place. Telles is way more versatile and productive than Luke Shaw.

It's about time that Shaw improved a lot of aspects in his game and some competition and tough love could nudge him in the right direction.

#4 Manchester United should try a new midfield combination

Manchester United Training and Press Conference

The double pivot of Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba with Fernandes working ahead of them has clicked for Manchester United in the past. But let's be real, teams are now getting well used to that and against the low-blocks, this trio is starting to become ineffective.

While Matic is good at progressing the ball by passing it through the lines, a lethargic Paul Pogba has been awful to watch. It's probably fatigue or the fact that he's still recovering after contracting the coronavirus but Pogba is doing nothing to help his case or the team.

When Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba are both on the pitch, Manchester United are far too slow in midfield. They do not move the ball fast enough to upset the opposition's defensive shape or rhythm. Manchester United have a unique tool in their kitty in the form of Donny van de Beek.

So it's high time for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to try out a new midfield combination because this one is clearly broken.

#3 Manchester United need to bring the young centre-backs in

Manchester United's backline has been so awful that they've only played three games and have already conceded 11 goals. They currently have the second-worst defensive record in the league and that is, in no small part, thanks to the exploits of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly.

It looks like Bailly has returned to the infirmary after suffering an injury last night. Lindelof is poor when it comes to aerial battles and his positional sense is alarmingly horrible at times. Harry Maguire has turned into a giant who lacks mobility and any sort of defensive strengths as his ridiculous errors continue to cost United dearly.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should bench them and bring in the likes of Axel Tuanzebe and Teden Mengi. They don't have the experience to start week in and week out but it's time to start integrating them to the first-team setup because it really cannot get much worse than this.

United's centre-backs are currently putting the team in all sorts of uncomfortable positions thanks to their inability to execute their duties well and it's time they've been made to pay for it.

#2 Stop overusing Bruno Fernandes

Bruno Fernandes in action for Manchester United

Bruno Fernandes has appeared in almost every single game since he joined Manchester United. He continues to be productive but the fatigue can take a toll both physically and mentally. Manchester United keep turning to the Portuguese maestro for creativity.

Now most teams are aware of Fernandes' abilities and his proclivity for playing a defence splitting pass before the opposition players can react. Bruno Fernandes could use some rest just to gather his bearings and freshen things up again. After a tiring end to the 2019-20 season, Fernandes has really had no time to recuperate.

A week or two after the 2019-20 season ended, Bruno was playing for Portugal twice in one week in the UEFA Nations League. Immediately after that, he flew to be with his newborn child. Shortly afterwards, he was back playing in the Premier League for Manchester United.

Manchester United have a lot of options in midfield and they should stop overusing Bruno Fernandes and should stop being over reliant on him to make the difference every single week.

#1 Strip Harry Maguire off his captaincy

Harry Maguire is Manchester United's captain. In fact, he was given the captain's armband as soon as he arrived at the club. There have been reports about how Harry Maguire has made it compulsory for players to attend team bonding sessions and all that but as it stands, he is not the guy who should be leading the dressing room.

Maguire has been absolute awful on the pitch and his performances will not inspire anybody. More than that, his demeanor doesn't inspire confidence. He looks like a man who has given up.

Maguire is not the most familiar face at Old Trafford. In fact, he has only been there for a little more than a year now. At this point David de Gea seems to be Manchester United's best choice for the captain's role. If not him, then Bruno Fernandes seems to be the only player who does not compromise on standards.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith