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Having won 14 out of his first 18 games in charge, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was handed the job as the permanent manager of Manchester United back in March. However, the wheels seem to have fallen off for the Norwegian and the Red Devils have struggled for form ever since - winning just four out of their next 17 games.
United have made their worst start to the season in 30 years, winning just two of their first eight games in the Premier League. They currently sit 12th on the table, just two points behind the relegation zone.
The performances on the pitch have been dreadful, and a section of the fans have already turned against their manager.
The Manchester United hierarchy has backed the Norwegian publicly and expressed belief that the club is heading in the right direction under his leadership. However, if the results don't start to improve soon, they might be forced to pull the trigger.
That said, sacking him won't solve Manchester United's troubles. Here are three reasons why they should stick with Solskjaer if they hope to bring back the glory days:
#3 Can implement the same brand of football United fans were used to under Sir Alex
Manchester United were playing the best football we have seen them play in years when Solskjaer was in his initial reign as the interim manager at Old Trafford. The Norwegian binned the low-block tactics used by Jose Mourinho and implemented a high-pressing system, which allowed them to play more in the final third.
While Solskjaer did deploy his team to play on the counter-attack against the top 6 sides away from home, he placed huge emphasis on keeping possession and playing attractive football at Old Trafford. Many would say that the Red Devils were playing just like they used to under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The only difference between then and now is that he had players who had the qualities to implement his style of play on the pitch with perfection. Having sold several of those players in the summer coupled with injuries to key men, the Norwegian has been forced to use fringe players more often then he would like - which in turn has taken a toll on the performances on the pitch.
Once Solskjaer gets the squad that he wants, the Old Trafford faithful will likely witness the same brand of football that used to get them off their seats during the Norwegian's initial reign.
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#2 His summer acquisitions prove he is more than capable of building a title-winning squad
When Solskjaer came in, the first thing he did was to shift the recruitment policy from luring marquee players to signing young and talented players. They brought in Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire and Daniel James during the summer, and all three have made a huge impact since joining the club.
Moreover, Solskjaer got rid of all the under-performing players, which was necessary to cleanse the dressing room. This was by far United's best transfer window in years. However, the Norwegian was left a couple of signings short, which has impacted the performances on the pitch.
His acquisitions have been stellar so far, and if given a couple more transfer windows, the Norwegian tactician could build a young squad which plays attractive football and is capable of challenging for major honours.
#1 Sacking him would bring them back to square one
Manchester United have been chopping and changing managers ever since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2013. Since then, they have appointed four different managers with vastly different philosophies. However, none of them were given the time and backing to build a squad that could challenge for major honours.
When Louis van Gaal was appointed, he sold most of the experienced players and tried to build a young squad from scratch. However, he was sacked before he could complete his plan, despite lifting the FA Cup that season.
Next came Jose Mourinho, who dismantled the squad assembled by Van Gaal to bring in players that fitted his philosophy.
Now Solskjaer is in charge, and he has remolded the squad according to his style of play - discarding most of the players that used to feature regularly under the Portuguese. If Solskjaer is sacked now, the next manager coming in will do the same with this set of players, and the vicious cycle will continue.
The Manchester United hierarchy must not repeat the mistake they made with other the managers. They need to give Solskjaer time to completely build the squad capable of implementing his style of play on the pitch.
