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Problems are mounting for Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and he must make some tough decisions to banish mounting speculation about his position. The time has come for the Norwegian to leave David de Gea and Paul Pogba and rely on their replacements to keep him on the job.
Although rumors suggesting conversations with former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino have been dismissed by senior United figures, sources have told ESPN that Solskjaer’s friends are aware of the talk surrounding him. Pochettino, poor results will always put a coach on the firing line and Solskjaer is racking them up at an alarming rate.
United have conceded 11 goals in their three Premier League games so far this season, losing home games to Crystal Palace (3-1) and Tottenham (6-1), with their only win in Brighton, when the Solskjaer’s team became the first team in Premier League history to score a winning goal after the final whistle thanks to a Bruno Fernandes penalty awarded by VAR at the end of the match.
Had it not been for that serendipitous win at Amex Stadium, United would have traveled to Newcastle on Saturday with only Burnley, Sheffield United and Fulham scoreless keeping them out of the relegation zone. That’s how bad it has been.
However, with the 6-1 humiliation against Spurs still painful, Solskjaer must find a way to turn the tide at Newcastle without suspended Anthony Martial, who was sent off in that loss, and new signing Edinson Cavani, who will miss the travel to St. James’ Park due to a COVID-19 requirement of self-isolation for 14 days after your arrival as a free agent on the transfer deadline.
And to make matters worse for Solskjaer, captain Harry Maguire saw his form sink midweek with a red card as he played for England in the Nations League loss to Denmark at Wembley.
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So Solskjaer already has to prepare a team for Newcastle with tough issues to tackle before even contemplating what to do with De Gea and Pogba, but if the coach wants to deliver a declaration of intent, he has to fire his two highest paid players. . Neither of them can justify their position at United at the moment.
Goalkeeper De Gea has been caught in a downward spiral since an unconvincing 2018 World Cup with Spain and made another costly mistake in the Nations League match midweek that led to Viktor Tsyhankov scoring to give Ukraine a shot. the 1-0 victory in Kiev.
De Gea has kept just a clean sheet in his last seven games for United, conceding 17 goals in total in that streak. When their goalkeeper lets them in at a rate of more than two goals a game, it’s time for a change.
Dean Henderson, called up to United after two years on loan at Sheffield United, has made two appearances this season in the Carabao Cup and has had a clean sheet in both games, against Luton and Brighton. Having impressed enough at Bramall Lane last season to win an England call-up, Henderson is very confident and ready for his shot. But is Solskjaer bold enough to make that decision?
The United manager has a similar dilemma with Pogba, although the French midfielder’s performances this season should make it easy to resolve.
Despite a brief streak of form towards the end of last season, when he showed signs of a flourishing association with Fernandes, Pogba has returned to the inconsistent and unreliable responsibility that Solskjaer had lost patience with prior to his ankle injury. long-term last year. . The 27-year-old was lousy in a 6-1 loss to Spurs, when his carelessness sparked two goals for the visitors, the second when he conceded a penalty for a ridiculous sliding challenge over Ben Davies.
When United play well, Pogba’s attacking qualities are an advantage, but when they fight for form and results, it is a luxury they cannot afford and Saturday’s game in Newcastle is one that definitely does not suit Pogba in the United situation.
In Donny van de Beek, Solskjaer has an obvious replacement for Pogba. The £ 40m summer signing from Ajax is hard-working, defensively alert, clean and orderly in possession and also carries a goal threat, but Solskjaer has yet to get him off to a start in the Premier League.
Sources have told ESPN that Van de Beek was not a target player originally for Solskjaer this summer and that the Dutch international was a club signing rather than one identified by the coach, but Solskjaer sanctioned the deal anyway.
However, his reluctance to start with Van de Beek is puzzling when you consider Pogba’s abject performances this season. Solskjaer may have chosen to back De Gea and Pogba’s experience in the belief that they will come out of their potholes, but the evidence to date suggests otherwise and the manager is now at the point where it must be tough enough to take both out of the team.
United need him to, but with the noise surrounding Pochettino refusing to leave, Solskjaer must do it himself.
