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Ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford on Sunday, there was a notion building that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had bitten off more than he could chew when he took the job last December. Even though there were no calls for his head yet, there was growing dissent among a section of United fans that perhaps he was not the right man for the job. The reason was simple – Manchester United had been awful of late, sitting in the bottom half of the table ahead of the tie.
Few people expected United to survive the game on Sunday. Liverpool was, after all, on an unbeaten run of 17 games in the Premier League and had been brilliant since the start of the season. Contrary to all expectations, the Norwegian almost came away with a win, only for his team to concede late on in the game.
In a way, the result summed up Manchester United’s current situation – the Red Devils were good in parts but failed to get a grip on the game after taking the lead, which ultimately cost them a win.
Even though Solskjaer managed to stop Liverpool’s 100% record, the Red Devils are still only two points away from the relegation zone. As such, talks of the Norwegian getting the sack will just not go away. However, here are three reasons why Solskjaer can finish the 2019/20 Premier League season as Manchester United manager.
#3 Lack of proper alternatives
Had Pep Guardiola been available, it would have been acceptable for United to go all out and end Solskjaer’s reign in the middle of the season to accommodate the Spaniard. Perhaps Ed Woodward would have been forgiven for doing the same for Jurgen Klopp too if the German manager was available. Unfortunately, that is not the case right now.
Perhaps the only noteworthy manager who could interest the Manchester United board is Massimiliano Allegri, however, investing in the Italian is a risk. That is because he does not have Premier League experience and United would be heading into uncertainty once again under his stewardship. For the record, Jose Mourinho is without a job too, but the Red Devils will perhaps be wary of going in that direction for valid reasons.
As such, Manchester United’s best bet is sticking with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the time being and the club has shown every sign of doing so this far.
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#2 Absence of a competitive squad
Solskjaer has been on the receiving end of the ire of the United fans due to the sorry state of affairs on the pitch. However, the Norwegian has been out of luck with injuries this season. Only Norwich City has missed more players due to injuries than Manchester United this season. The fact that the Canaries are 19th in the table shows how devastating injuries can be.
Solskjaer has missed Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Luke Shaw for majority of the games so far and Eric Bailly is yet to kick a ball this season. While Martial returned to the bench against Liverpool, Pogba and Shaw are yet to regain full fitness. In addition, Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have both missed a couple of games while Axel Tuanzebe picked up a knock while warming up on Sunday. It would be unfair to judge the Norwegian in a season where injuries have hurt his chances.
Manchester United’s inability to reinforce the squad in the summer transfer window has also been a reason for the club’s dismal run so far. United made three stellar signings but their net spend in the summer was a mere £75m. It is clear that this squad is not at the level needed to compete for the league title, so Solskjaer deserves to be judged only after he gets to assemble a team of his liking.
#1 United’s long term plan
Short term fixes have not worked so far for the Red Devils and it is clear now that United needs a long term plan. Manchester United appointed four managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and are yet to improve. They have watched helplessly as their rivals Liverpool and Manchester City have leapfrogged them to achieve success. As such, United can ill afford another managerial overhaul right now and instead, should focus on the future.
Solskjaer’s faith in United's youth and desire to play fluid attacking football is the right base to start the rebuilding plans. He is well aware of the demands of managing the biggest club in England and his decisions so far have displayed that he has a clear long term plan.
This could be a big reason why the Norwegian may end the 2019/20 season as the Manchester United manager. With a fully fit squad purring to his pressing tactics, Solskjaer will be able to turn United’s season around. The performance against Liverpool was just the start of their journey in the right direction.
*Disclaimer*: The views presented in this article are those of the writer and not of Sportskeeda.
