Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should heed Man Utd icons Tottenham selection warning to save job
Liverpool's record 5-0 win at Man Utd: Solskjaer at 'rock bottom'
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had appeared to be on the cusp of losing his job following Manchester United’s excruciating 5-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool.
But the United chief will only be afforded some respite, with the knowledge that a similar capitulation in their next few games would be terminal.
This weekend’s Premier League clash with Tottenham has high stakes for Solskjaer – and as such, he should heed the warning of his former United team-mate Gary Neville when it comes to rolling the dice with his starting XI for such a key game.
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Neville insisted after the Liverpool humbling that Jesse Lingard should have come into the side as he was the best fit to implement Solskjaer’s pressing gameplan – a plot that was ruthlessly ripped apart by the Reds.
Lingard has spent the majority of the season so far on the periphery at Old Trafford, despite reinvigorating his career off the back of a stunning six-month loan spell at West Ham.
The 28-year-old netted nine times in 16 games at the back end of last season to earn a crack at salvaging his Old Trafford career.
But since then, Lingard has hardly been given the opportunity to replicate the form that made him such a hit in east London.
And it’s getting increasingly harder to justify his ostracisation from the United side.
During his fleeting cameos this term, Lingard has made an impressive impact in spite of only featuring for a grand total of just 146 minutes across his seven appearances.
Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Mason Greenwood sit above Lingard in United’s scoring charts this term – and all three have enjoyed the luxury of being handed far more minutes than him.
Lingard’s potency so far this term is further highlighted by his goals per 90 ratio, which stands at an impressive 1.23, which is again a figure that none of his United team-mates, barring the returning Marcus Rashford, can get near.
Despite Solskjaer insisting that Lingard, who is out of contract in the summer, remains a key part of his plans and publically declaring his desire for the attacker to remain at Old Trafford, Lingard is still awaiting his first Premier League start of the season.
But Solskjaer can amend that when United travel to London on Saturday evening.
Solskjaer depending on Lingard to save his United career would have been an unthinkable scenario as recently as last year.
But with Lingard’s resurgence on the field and Solskjaer floundering off of it, that’s now a very real possibility.
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He may not have the same Hollywood appeal as Ronaldo or the £73million price tag of Jadon Sancho, but Lingard has already proved that he still has a vital role to play for United.
Neville had already spoken on how Lingard could help balance United’s top-heavy side. It was sorely evident how unbalanced and incoherent Solskjaer’s side were after they were ripped apart repeatedly by Liverpool.
And that’s left people questioning whether Solskjaer has the capability to tangle tactically with the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.
But it turns out Solskjaer might have had the solution under his nose all along if Neville is proved right.
“United could be a better team with someone like Lingard in it,” Neville said last month on The Gary Neville podcast.
“Others may be more exciting but can you create a brilliant team with all those attacking players whilst having balance in the team? It’s important to have those who are willing to run the other way. Chelsea have a good balance, but United at the moment don’t quite have that same balance.”
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