(London) Manchester United’s sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday highlighted the oddity of his appointment three years ago and the club’s flaws in being so stubborn with a manager whose skills were constantly in doubt , especially since the significant investment in staff had little impact on the ground.
Even after the disconcerting defeats to rivals Liverpool (5-0) and Manchester City (2-0) last month, United have remained loyal to Solskjaer.
As Aston Villa and Norwich took advantage of the two-week international break to fire and recruit new coaches, United management waited after Saturday’s 4-1 failure at Watford – a fifth loss in seven games Premier League – to finally decide that a change was needed at the helm of the squad.
“Ole will always be a legend at Manchester United and it is with regret that we have made this difficult decision,” United said in a statement.
It was only Solskjaer’s legendary status that first landed him the job as Jose Mourinho’s successor and kept him in office for so long without winning a trophy.
“While the past few weeks have been disappointing, they shouldn’t mask all the hard work he’s done over the past three years to build long-term successes,” United continued. Ole leaves with our sincere thanks for his tireless efforts as a coach and our best wishes for the future. ”
There is no clear succession plan after the departure of the fourth manager since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Instead, just like when Mourinho left, United turned to one of the former Ferguson players. United have revealed that Michael Carrick, who was part of Solskjaer’s assistants’ squad, will take charge of “the games ahead, as the club seek to appoint an interim coach until the end of the season. ”