Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has overseen his final game in charge of Manchester United and was sacked by the club following his side’s dismal 4-1 defeat against Watford last weekend.
Heavy defeats against Liverpool and Manchester City had inflicted severe pain on Solskjaer’s brittle United side but the no-show at Watford was particularly embarrassing.
Following the game, Solskjaer was met by a split away section and had to be defended by Bruno Fernandes, who urged the travelling support to blame the players instead of the manager.
Solskjaer was dismissed the next day and subsequently, there have been reports over how some United players reacted to the Watford defeat.
Journalist and transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has offered an insight into the dressing-room atmosphere straight after the game, claiming the players were ‘destroyed’ when the full-time whistle had gone.
Read more: Man Utd hold talks with former defender amid managerial vacancy
“After this game with Watford, into the dressing-room, the atmosphere was really in shock. Real shock for Manchester United players, it’s true that some of the players were in tears,” Romano said, as seen above.
“Some of the players were in real shock, they were not able to trust what was going on on the pitch. The atmosphere into the dressing-room few minutes after the game was with players with no words. Completely destroyed on the mental side.
“This is also why the Man United board decided to fire the manager.”
SN’s verdict on Romano’s comments…
The performance against Watford was embarrassing. It wasn’t in keeping with Manchester United’s values and the players should be held accountable. Some of the things on show were simply not acceptable.
Manchester United captain Harry Maguire will take most of the blame and rightly so. The 28-year-old was once again at the heart of United’s defensive woes and was typically given his marching orders.
The disappointment described by Romano could be down to the players catching onto the inevitable – that Solskjaer’s days were numbered. Regardless, the performance alone should spark a strong reaction against Villarreal on Tuesday.