Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has his job – for now. However, pressure is building on the Norwegian, with reports claiming that the club has lined up Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers to be his replacement.
United continue to put their faith in Solskjaer despite a 5-0 humiliation at home to rivals Liverpool the previous weekend. The Norwegian survived the difficult post-match period, as fans turned on him and the team, but he is certain to take charge of the weekend’s league game against Tottenham and possibly the midweek trip to Atalanta. However, as per multiple reports, the club won’t hesitate to make a change if the results continue to decline.
While the name of Antonio Conte is being thrown up in the air, ESPN reports that there is another manager under consideration at Old Trafford – Brendan Rodgers.
The Leicester City boss has impressed senior figures at the club with the work he has done at the club; under him, the Foxes finished fifth in back-to-back league campaigns and won the 2020/21 FA Cup, beating Chelsea in the final. Previously, the Northern Irishman helped Celtic dominate the Scottish Premier League, while his Liverpool side came within a few points of winning the title in the 2013/14 season.
Other names on the shortlist include Conte and former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino. The former is currently without a job after leaving Inter Milan in the summer.
However, as per the reports, the Manchester United hierarchy does not have full confidence in the Italian, mostly due to his demands for total control and excessive spending. Pochettino, too, is a target – and has been one in the past – but he is currently tied to Paris Saint-Germain.
United’s three appointments since David Moyes in 2013 have all been foreign coaches. The club initially handed the reigns of the first team to Louis Van Gaal and later, Jose Mourinho; while both delivered trophies, they were deemed unfit to lead the team in the long term. Solskjaer came in to steady the ship following Mourinho’s departure in 2018 but is yet to deliver silverware.
