Saiyed Karim
The Manchester United club has confirmed its position about sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjær. The legendary coach had dropped his role as the club’s manager following defeats in the last five out of seven matches in the English Premier League.
Despite having good soccer odds, Manchester United fans must have felt enraged following and betting on their favorite team only to get disappointed. With Ole Gunnar out, many celebrate believing the performance of the club will be better under someone else’s management.
Following a humiliating 4-1 defeat to Watford on Saturday, the club’s board of directors called a meeting to decide its future. The club released a statement noting Ole would always be a legend at Manchester United. The club also regretted reaching their decision to let go of Ole.
The club statement also read that Ole had done exemplary work in the past three years rebuilding its foundation for long-term success. It continued to explain that a few weeks’ disappointments should not obscure all the work Gunnar did for the club.
The club sincerely thanked Ole for his tireless efforts managing it. It also wished him all the best and welcomed him to be part of the Manchester United family. The released club’s statement also tells that Ole’s place in the club history is secure for not just being a player but also a great man and a manager.
Manchester United has confirmed that Michael Carrick, who is a former player and one of the coaching staff under Solskjær would be taking over managerial responsibility of the club. While Michael will act as the club’s caretaker, the board might consider appointing him as the interim manager of the club until the end of the season.
The performance at Vicarage Road birthed fresh discussions between Manchester United owners and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward after the Saturday night game. Matt Judge, the Chief negotiator was also present at the meeting.
The meeting involved compensation for the outgoing manager. They also discussed Ole’s staff that would remain with Old Trafford when it is time to let go of Ole Gunnar.
Ole had signed a new contract in July 2021. It would have lasted until 2024 with the option of adding another year.
According to sources, Solskjær expected to leave the club following the loss to Watford. The team started the 2021-22 season badly by losing 5-0 to its rivals Liverpool. Manchester City then beat the red devils 2-0 soon after at Old Trafford before the international break which sealed Ole’s fate.
Gunnar replaced Jose Mourinho on an interim basis before taking his permanent position in March 2019. Although he enjoyed several successes including setting an English Premier League record 29-match unbeaten from home and securing top-four finishes for the first time since 2013, he also had several failures. This includes failing to secure a trophy for the club that had last won in 2017.
Other losses include a 5-0 loss to Liverpool, 6-1 defeat to Tottenham which was previously managed by Manchester United’s previous manager, Mourinho. Moreover, the club lost its chance to claim the Europa League trophy after it lost to Villarreal on penalties. Even with the summer recruitment that involved the arrival of the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane, and Jadon Sancho and spending over £120m, Ole has to go.
