Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Sack Date Clearer After Zinedine Zidane Paints Man Utd Stance – Sports Dias
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s job is hanging by a thread, with reports that replacements are already being sought.
The beleaguered United manager has spent the last week in Norway, giving his players a week off from international duty.
That was a surprising decision, especially in light of their humiliating derby day defeat to Manchester City.
Instead of conducting an immediate autopsy, Solskjaer has given his struggling team a brief reprieve, with training set to resume on Monday morning.
International breaks are always a risky time for Premier League managers, as Daniel Farke and Dean Smith have discovered.
The two-week period to allow a new coach to be hired and settled in is sometimes too appealing to pass up.
But, unlike Norwich City and Aston Villa, Manchester United have backed their manager, and Solskjaer looks set to remain in charge when the Red Devils face Watford next weekend.
There is still a sense that he is living on borrowed time. And, with each negative outcome only adding to the scrutiny, it’s a situation that could continue indefinitely.
The decision to keep Solskjaer may be motivated as much by support for Solskjaer as it is by a perceived lack of suitable replacements.
Antonio Conte’s move to Tottenham was undoubtedly a disappointment after the Italian had been heavily linked with the Old Trafford job only a few weeks before.
A look at the available candidates explains why United has yet to bite the bullet and let go of their legendary former player.
Mauricio Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane, and Brendan Rodgers are all said to be on the shortlist.
But there is one thing that all three of them have in common. A reluctance to take on the most important job in English football in the middle of the season.
Rodgers, the manager of Leicester City, is ambitious and ambitious, but he believes leaving the Foxes in the middle of the season would be a mistake with the chances of silverware still strong.
Pochettino is another candidate who would be interested in the job, but with the opportunity to lead Paris Saint-Germain to their first Champions League title, any move for him would most likely be postponed until next year.
Zidane is the only one of the three coaches who is currently unemployed, but he, like the other two, would prefer to have a full pre-season in any potential new role.
The three candidates’ circumstances may result in a stay of execution for the seemingly doomed boss.
That may not be popular, but after failing to find a suitable replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson for the past eight years, United must get this appointment right.
Time and a little patience could be beneficial.
