MY ACCOUNT
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should hand over the baton and leave Old Trafford, according to former defender Rio Ferdinand.
Solskjaer is under mounting pressure after United were outclassed 2-0 by neighbours Manchester City in Saturday’s Premier League derby, having been humiliated 5-0 at the hands of Liverpool last month.
United have lost four of their past six games as the Red Devils already find themselves nine points adrift of leaders Chelsea heading into the international break.
Solskjaer is yet to deliver a title since he became permanent United manager in March 2019 and ex-team-mate Ferdinand believes it is time for the Norwegian to move on.
“We started this season with such hope but also the transfer window that we had, the excitement, we were all sitting there going ‘this is our time now’,” Ferdinand – who won six Premier League trophies and the Champions League during his time at United – said on his Five with Vibe podcast.
“Ole was brought in to get us to that point. He was brought in to get the squad in-tact, get the players in to make us challenge for the league.
“I sit here now and I don’t think we can challenge for this league. I look at our team every week wondering what are we gonna do tactically?
“I don’t see any philosophy or identity in the Man United way of playing whatever that should be from the management. I sit here looking confused at the team.
“I was always deep down a bit sceptical, could he take us on to be champions? I wasn’t fully convinced – I wasn’t sure he could do that.
“But the showing with the squad that he accumulated, to the beginning of this season – and what I’ve seen this season – I just feel it might be about the time now for the baton to be handed over to somebody else who can take us on now.
“And I think Ole would leave now with his head held high because, because from when he came in to where he got us at the beginning of the season I think it’s been positive.”
United are now without a clean sheet in their last 14 home games in all competitions – they have only had one longer run in their entire history without a home clean sheet, a 21-match run between April 1958 and March 1959.
Solskjaer’s United have lost eight home matches in all competitions in 2021, their most in a calendar year since losing eight in 1989.
United have conceded 11 home Premier League goals in six fixtures Old Trafford this season, their most in their first six home league matches of a season since 1976-77 (also 11).
Meanwhile, United have taken just eight points in their last nine home Premier League matches (W2 D2 L5) and have lost consecutive home league matches without scoring for the first time since March 2014, when those defeats also came against Liverpool followed by City.
