Ole Gunnar Solskjaer survives, for now – is the news out of Manchester United on Tuesday morning. The Athletic reports that the club has decided not to sack the first team manager, despite a disastrous 5-0 loss at home against rivals Liverpool. Instead, the Norwegian will be given time to turn things around, starting with next weekend’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur.
Concerns began to grow over the future of Solskjaer, who took over at United in December 2018 following the discharge of Jose Mourinho, after a shaky start to the season. The Red Devils were subjected to surprise defeats by West Ham United in the EFL Cup and Aston Villa in the league.
Drab draws against Southampton and Everton were followed by last-gasp wins in the UEFA Champions League. However, things quickly turned sour in the last few weeks, when the team was beaten 4-2 by Leicester City and 5-0 by Liverpool.
The club’s owner Joel Glazer reportedly held a meeting with executives Ed Woodward and Richard Arnold following Sunday’s thrashing at the hands of the Reds, but Solskjaer survived the assessment.
As pressure continues to grow on him, though, there are other candidates waiting in the wings. The Athletic reports that Antonio Conte has expressed an interest in the Manchester United job after leaving Inter Milan this summer upon delivering their first league title since 2010.
Other names include those of Zinedine Zidane and Mauricio Pochettino. Similarly to Conte, Zidane is without a job since quitting Real Madrid at the end of the previous season. Pochettino is currently employed by Paris Saint-Germain, although he has been linked to United in the past. Brighton’s Graham Potter could also emerge as a potential option to replace Solskjaer, but not immediately.
