In the aftermath of their 4-1 hammering at Watford, Manchester United have announced that Norwegian manager Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer is no longer the club’s manager after a mutual agreement was reached with the club’s board following an emergency executive meeting.
Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer became Manchester United’s manager in January 2019 on an initial interim basis as a replacement for Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho. The Norwegian saw his appointment become permanent in the following months after picking up ten wins and two draws in his opening 12 matches.
The Red Devils have spent a significant amount of money on beefing up their squad under Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer, but the Norwegian manager has failed to deliver any silverware to Old Trafford in that time.
Solskjaer started to come under increased scrutiny after the club signed Cristiano Ronaldo over the summer and still struggled in matches against smaller sides in the league and UEFA Champions League. Manchester United have lost five of their last seven league matches and once in the UEFA Champions League against Young Boys. The club were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup by West Ham United.
The 51-year-old Solskjaer has been under pressure at Old Trafford despite receiving public backing from the club’s hierarchy and former manager Sir Alex Ferguson in previous weeks. The final straw came in their defeat to newly-promoted Watford.
In the aftermath of their defeat to Watford, experienced goalkeeper David De Gea spoke of his disappointment in an interview, stating that the side did not know how to defend and use the ball, but saying that Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer was not to blame for their woes.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United co-Chairman Joel Glazer gave the final directive to end Solskjaer’s reign as the club’s manager. The club has decided to pay a compensation to the Norwegian manager and part ways amicably.
Manchester United will turn towards two players who played and coached alongside Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer, Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick, to lead the team on an interim basis if they fail to secure an immediate replacement for the Norwegian.
Manchester United will now turn their sights towards their next match, a UEFA Champions League clash against Spanish side Villarreal, before facing consecutive matches against Chelsea and Arsenal in the English Premier League, a daunting run of fixtures for any manager.
