Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have to make another major Man Utd change to help Jadon Sancho

Solskjaer and Fernandes laud Man Utd attacking talent

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Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led his side to victory over Tottenham on Saturday as the Red Devils claimed their first Premier League win in five games. The Norwegian is desperately fighting to save his job at Old Trafford after a series of poor results.

Solskjaer needed to be brave for the encounter in north London and changed his formation to a 3-5-2 to shore up his backline.

And the extra man at the heart of Man Utd’s defence proved decisive as the team recorded only their second clean sheet of the campaign.

At the other end of the pitch Cristiano Ronaldo lined-up alongside Edinson Cavani for the first time in a front two.

And Solskjaer was rewarded as both players found the back of the net during a comprehensive 3-0 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But one player who didn’t make the cut in the new-look formation was Jadon Sancho, who remained on the bench in the capital.

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Sancho has endured a miserable start to life at Old Trafford and is yet to register a goal or assist in his 11 outings.

He has started just five times since his mega-money move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.

And the switch in formation means there is now no natural position for the 21-year-old to occupy in the United side.

With two players in the forward line, the role of wide front men becomes redundant. Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will be tasked with providing the Red Devils with their width, while Bruno Fernandes could be given the licence to roam free behind the strikers.

That means Solskjaer may have to rethink his formation oncer again if Sancho is in his plans.

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Sancho produced his best form for Dortmund on either side of a front three and was involved in a staggering 114 goals during his 137 games for the club.

But he can also play in a more central role behind the forwards.

Solskjaer could make the most of Sancho’s abilities in games where the Red Devils are expected to dominate by taking out one of his defensive midfielders.

That would create a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Sancho providing the threat in behind Ronaldo and Cavani.

But that would see Fernandes playing in a deeper role and the Portugal midfielder is United’s most creative player.

Alternatively, Solskjaer could remove one of his defenders if he feels he can still cope with the attacking threat some teams possess and play Sancho alongside Fernandes in a 4-2-2-2 formation.

Either way, the manager will have a problem to solve if he does want to name Sancho in his starting team.

Sancho looks to be off the pace at the moment so Solskjaer may opt to keep things as they were against Tottenham for the time being.

But the England international won’t settle for a place on the bench for long, otherwise he will be in danger of becoming United’s latest big-money flop.

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