Manchester United’s players are beginning to question whether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a ‘top coach’ and cut out for the job at Old Trafford, according to reports.
Last weekend, the Red Devils suffered their heaviest defeat since Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho as manager in December 2018, losing 6-1 at home to Tottenham.
The embarrassing defeat has sparked fresh speculation over Solskjaer’s position at the club, with reports suggesting Manchester United are considering approaching former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.
Solskjaer has endured a hugely mixed spell in the Old Trafford hot-seat. His team enjoyed a superb second-half of the 2019-20 season to finish third in the Premier League, and also reached the semi-finals of the Europa League.
But Manchester United have struggled to find consistency under the club legend and the squad is beginning to question whether Solskjaer has reached his ceiling, according to The Athletic.
Solskjaer only worked at Norwegian club Molde and Cardiff City before returning to the Theatre of Dreams, where he enjoyed incredible success as a player.
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One source close to the players told The Athletic: ‘I must be clear, the players I speak to are never saying he’s a disaster. But they question whether he is a top, top coach.’
Despite questioning Solskjaer’s credentials, it is claimed the squad and, crucially, Manchester United’s board, still support the manager.
However, there is a sense that things could quickly change if United continue to struggle following the international break, with the team facing Newcastle, PSG, Chelsea and RB Leipzig before the end of October and then Arsenal, İstanbul Basaksehir and Everton in the first week of November.
Argentine manager Pochettino, who impressed during his five-year spell at Tottenham, has been persistently linked with the Manchester United job and is said to be interested in taking over from Solskjaer.
‘I’ll hold my hands up, I’m responsible for this. I’ve lost 5-0 with United and we’ve lost 6-1. We’ve lost big results before and always bounced back.
‘I promise we’ll do everything we can to turn this around. We know how good they can be but today all our mistakes came almost like Christmas everything at once and if you make too many mistakes against a good team and you’ll be punished.’
