Man United give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a new goal to avoid sacking ahead of Watford | football | sports

[ad_1]

Manchester United hope Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can guide them to the knockout stages of the Champions League in order to avoid sacking the 48-year-old, according to reports. The Norwegian oversaw a turbulent campaign at Old Trafford. Another defeat at Watford on Saturday will see calls for him to lose his job intensify.

United supported Solskjaer heavily in the summer transfer window, bombarding reinforcements at Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But in the short time since the arrival of the popular trio, the Red Devils have retreated.

United will play Saturday’s game with Watford knowing they cannot afford to lose. Another defeat, and their hopes of winning the Premier League title – by nine points already – will end.

The Independent says the Red Devils’ board of directors hope Solskjaer will lead them to the knockout stages of the Champions League to avoid being sacked.

Old Trafford board members are reluctant to pull the Norwegian trigger yet.

The post states that the lack of available global managers is behind their thinking, with Mauricio Pochettino, Eric Ten Hag and Brendan Rodgers working elsewhere.

Do you think you know sports? Test your sports knowledge with our challenging quiz

They lost 2-1 in the opening game of the tournament to the Young Boys, as Jesse Lingard’s latest mistake proved costly.

United then faced another loss to Villarreal, but Alex Telles goals and Ronaldo saw them take the three points.

Against Atalanta, in the third round, the Red Devils trailed 2-0 in the second half.

But Marcus Rashford, Harry Maguire and Ronaldo all paid off to spare Solskjaer further humiliation.

Ronaldo was once again the champion against the Serie A giants last time out, netting a dramatic late equalizer in a 2-2 draw.

Speaking ahead of United’s Premier League match against Watford on Saturday, Solskjaer admitted he is eager to get back to work.

“Of course, I was in contact with the club and communicated with them as I do all the time anyway,” he said.

“It was a long international break but we used it to our advantage.

“We feel it was a good response from the players and we are ready for the Watford game.

“International breaks are always periods to refresh and keep working on different things and this time we had a few players who had to pull out.

“So there were quite a few of them here for one-on-one sessions, recovery sessions, and some players were allowed to go abroad to visit families.

“That’s always the case when everyone comes in and everyone is sparkling and ready.

“It’s been such a good week, we’ve had the opportunity to work with everyone on a few things.”

He also added, “They haven’t changed their mentality, that’s the wrong way to say it.

He said: “They love to play football, to win, when we left each other 13 days ago, no one was happy when they left Old Trafford.”

“But then there is another match, another match and another match, they are enjoying a complex game in their countries and this week, it has been a very determined and focused group, we have worked on some things and hopefully we will see that against Watford.”

[ad_2]