Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not be sacked despite a poor run of results which includes a disappointing 4-2 loss against Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.
As the Norwegian moved towards a discontented corner of the stadium to clap the travelling fans, he was faced with some sympathetic applause, anger and a fair few empty blue seats. Shockingly, Man Utd have won just two of their last seven games.
The Norwegian has accumulated 'a lot of credit in the bank at board level', despite the fact that United have had a not so successful start to their premier league campaign this season. The Red Devils currently sit fifth in the Premier League and third in their Champions League group, having won one and lost one of their opening two games.
United's fixtures don't get any easier, either. Their upcoming run includes games against Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal, as well as an away trip to Atalanta in the Champions League. Solskjaer's side took the lead against Leicester thanks to a wonder goal from Mason Greenwood, but found themselves 2-1 down with just over 10 minutes to go after Youri Tielemans and Çağlar Söyüncü scored for the hosts.
Marcus Rashford - who came on as a substitute after recovering from an injury - made it 2-2 in the 82nd minute, but Jamie Vardy restored the Foxes' lead just one minute later. As United pushed for another equaliser, Patson Daka capitalised and ensured Brendan Rodgers' side secured all three points. Solskjaer stated that the goals his team conceded were 'poor', but takes responsibility as he admits he 'probably made a bad decision'.
"When you look at the game after, the four goals we conceded were poor," said the 48-year-old. "The way we played we didn't deserve to continue that (away unbeaten) run."
"I pick the team, Harry Maguire showed no reaction and I hold my hand up if that does not work out. If we concede four, I probably made a bad decision.Lately we have not been in great form, lost too many points and that is something we have to look at. We might have to change, do we need more legs in there? What do we need? I have got many good players. Fred, Edinson Cavani, you miss them. I am not making excuses for the team I put out there, they are top footballers and we have not produced. It says everything, our best player was David but we still conceded four goals.” Said the United Coach.
The Red Devils manager - who signed a new three-year deal in July 2021 with the option to extend for another year - added Jadon Sancho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane to United's ranks in the summer, which cost around £130 million. Despite many people speculating about his future, it seems that Solskjaer is unlikely to be sacked - especially considering that his current contract has him staying at the club until at least 2024.
It is claimed the message coming out of Old Trafford is that ‘nothing has changed’, with the club still backing Solskjaer to end United’s wait for a trophy this season. Manchester United chiefs are said to be willing to give Solskjaer more time to improve the team and help new signings Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane fully adapt to English football. No managers have been contacted about replacing Solskjaer this season, despite some fans believing a change is needed for the team to compete for the Premier League or Champions League title.
Many believe that another coach could do better with this group of players and it could be time for a change, given that Solskjaer has been in charge since December of 2018 and has failed to win a trophy so far. The Norwegian has been backed in the media by several of his former Manchester United teammates, but that support won't last forever.