Man Utd board may change mind on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacking ahead of Watford showdown

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Manchester United’s board are yet to make a decision on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s fate. However, reports say the situation ‘may change’ ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Watford. And, at present, several names are being linked with the job at Old Trafford.

United backed Solskjaer in the summer transfer window, spending big after giving the Norwegian a new three-year contract.

However, despite the arrivals of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo from Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid and Juventus respectively, the Red Devils have endured a nightmare campaign so far.

United have actually regressed under Solskjaer and already trail Chelsea by nine points at the top of the Premier League table.

To make matters worse they’re also already out of the Carabao Cup, having exited that competition at the hands of David Moyes’ West Ham back in September.

And with Solskjaer feeling the heat, links to Zinedine Zidane, Brendan Rodgers, Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino have all arisen.

Now, the Manchester Evening News say the club’s board is yet to make a decision on Solskjaer’s future.

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But it’s added the situation ‘may change’ ahead of Saturday’s match with Watford.

United go into that fixture on a run of six defeats from their last 12 matches across all competitions.

And though the Hornets have struggled this term, the Red Devils will have to be at their best to pick up all three points.

United have lost twice to Watford in recent years, first losing 3-1 back in September 2016.

Jose Mourinho was in charge at the time and, after landing the likes of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, was expected to challenge for the title.

But United finished sixth in the 2016/2017 campaign and the defeat at Vicarage Road was a difficult day at the office for all involved.

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Solskjaer’s men also lost their last match away at Watford in December 2019, going down 2-0.

And Solskjaer will be eager to avoid a repeat when his side step out onto the turf on Saturday afternoon.

With the Norwegian limping on at Old Trafford, there’s been plenty of chatter about who could replace him.

Fresh reports have linked Zidane with the post, with the Frenchman out of work following his summer departure from Real Madrid.

However, while he’s admired, there’s a sense he’d prefer to return to management with the France national team instead.

Rodgers and Pochettino would be difficult to hire, too, given their commitments at Leicester City and Paris Saint-Germain respectively.

And though Ten Hag has done well at Ajax, United would represent a giant step up.

Former England boss Sam Allardyce, meanwhile, feels Solskjaer is stressed and believes he needs better staff around him in order to get an upturn in form and fortune.

“You just have to look at his hair,” he said.

“Ole can only get through it with his staff and then by putting the players on the right track.

“Your staff need to be right on top of their game.

“We get all the criticism and all the praise as managers, but if you haven’t got the right staff… the success I had, I couldn’t have done it without my staff.

“I can’t believe I’ve still not got a total silver fox. People think I dye mine, but I don’t. I should have been a silver fox about 10 years ago.

“My advice to Ole is I would shut everything down from the inside, which is almost an impossible task.

“But to focus internally and keep the outside influences away from everybody.

“Focus and really find a way out of it with your staff. Ole’s staff are never more important than they are now.

“Ole can only get through it with his staff and then by putting the players on the right track. You need your staff need to be right on top of their game.”

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