Sky Sports football pundit, Paul Merson, has speculated that he thinks Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, could be set for the Old Trafford exit should the Norwegian fail to get the better of arch-rivals, Manchester City when the two sides meet on Saturday afternoon.
Solskjaer, who was named as United’s permanent manager in March 2019 faces intense pressure after a series of up and down performances have seen his Red Devils struggle for consistency.
Solskjaer has won four of his last four matches in the Premier League, but Saturday’s clash against arch-rivals Manchester City is arguably his most important of the new 2020-21 season, so far.
United come into Saturday’s mouth-watering Manchester derby off the back of a crushing 3-2 defeat to RB Leipzig which sealed their exit from the Champions League.
Merson, who wrote in his Sky Sports column, thinks that should Solskjaer and his United side fail to see off Pep Guardiola’s Citizens, the 47-year-old gaffer could be set for the chop.
“For me, this is a massive football match,” Merson said. “I would say that if he doesn’t get through this, that could be it. I think it’s make or break for Ole. That is, unless Man Utd have a different plan, and think differently about this club than everyone else.”
“Do Man Utd want anyone else? Are they comfortable with this situation? They run the show, there’s no pressure, do they like that? Do the people who run Man Utd think they are the biggest club in football? Do they think like me, or do they think ‘we’re not that team anymore’?
“Would Zinedine Zidane be in a job today if Real Madrid hadn’t made the last 16 of the Champions League? Definitely not. They would have gone off the idea that they are the biggest club in the world, and would have made that decision.
“I’d love to know whether those people running Manchester United are happy where they are. I don’t get that feeling from the board that they believe they’re the biggest team in the world.”
United currently sit seventh in the Premier League table on 19-points from their first 10 games, elsewhere, City hover narrowly below them in eighth place, just one-point behind.
Read more: Man City’s Kevin De Bruyne hails Man United star ahead of Manchester derby
So does merson the alki thing that arteta should get the sack from arsenal if he loses his next game. Or is it ok for arteta to keep losing games and not worry about losing his job. So merson just you worry about your old club’s mess that there in. And stop interfering in Manchester united’s affairs ok
To be fair Kevin – He hasn’t minced his words on Arsenal either.
Paul Merson: Arsenal are a mid-table Premier League side