“It's a very difficult time for him and the team" - Former Manchester United player Pat McGibbon sympathizes with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Former Manchester United defender Pat McGibbon has sympathized with his former teammate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He, however, feels the Norwegian needs to turn things around quickly.

McGibbon and Solskjaer played together under Sir Alex Ferguson, and like most of Solskjaer’s former teammates, the former has come out in his support. However, the 48-year-old admitted that football is a results-driven business.

McGibbon believes Solskjaer will need to manage the big egos within the team well and change Manchester United’s fortunes quickly to survive. He said:

“It's a very difficult time for him and the team. They had that poor result against Liverpool and then they got something back against Spurs but there a lot of dynamics going on there. I managed in the Irish League (Newry City and Portadown) so I saw it at that level and at Manchester United you don't always know what's going on off the pitch.”

McGibbon added:

“He is dealing with very strong egos and characters and that is a challenge in itself. Ole is a terrific lad and he's a stronger character than what most people would think but it's a results-driven business, especially at that top end so they will need to turn things around fairly quickly.”

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Manchester United will need to put together a strong run over the festive period

Post the November international break, the fixtures will come thick and fast for Manchester United. This will be a chance for Solskjaer and his side to turn things around, but they will have to be a lot more proactive than they have been in recent weeks.

Although defeats against Liverpool and Manchester City were expected, the club’s meek surrender in both games was not. Manchester United will have to show more resolve against the teams around them as their record against the big teams has been woeful so far this season.

The Red Devils have already conceded a total of 17 goals already this season – the highest among the teams in the top half of the table. They have also failed to score in two of their last three games in the Premier League, so they have several issues to rectify.

Manchester United have a couple of testing games coming up against Arsenal and Chelsea in November. The results from those fixtures could very well determine if Solskjaer will still be in charge of the club come Christmas.