The reverberations of the five-nil thrashing of Manchester United by eternal rivals Liverpool is still felt within the hallowed halls of the Theatre of Dreams and within their fan ranks across the world.
The support base of the most successful club side in England is divided into two, with one side described as ‘Ole inners’ throwing their weight of support behind the Norwegian gaffer, whilst the other side tagged ‘Ole outers’ want him out.
The heat generated by the division has become so hot that for the first time in almost three years, the club board has mulled the sacking of the United boss. The Norwegian himself was forced to comment on his own future after such a humbling defeat.
The demoralising defeat at the hands of Liverpool left legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who cut the picture of a man who had lost it all, deflated.
Solskjaer has not done anything of note besides spending loads of cash on players, of which a sizable number of them he has refused to use. Filling his shoes should not be difficult, but the question remains - who will take the job if Ole is fired?
Conte prepared to talk to United
Many names have been bandied about as replacements for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as his sack becomes imminent. Antonio Conte, Zinedine Zidane, Eric Ten Hag and Luis Enrique are some of the names that have come up, but Conte is becoming the most likely candidate to secure the job.
Solskjaer’s future was discussed at boardroom level on Monday, slashing his odds of being in charge for the weekend clash against Tottenham. Bookmakers already have a close eye on this development as well.
Conte has emerged as the favourite to take over from the Norwegian. The out of work Italian has declared that he is prepared to talk to Manchester United whenever they indicate interest in his services. The interest in the former Inter Milan gaffer was revealed by a source who spoke to Express Sport.
The lines are beginning to align for Conte becoming the new Manchester United manager, and like Zinedine Zidane, he would not attract any compensation fee.
The sins of Solskjaer
Three years down the line, with an injection of around £400 million, Manchester United are no closer to challenging the best teams in the league for titles.
Solskjaer has overseen a side with a plethora of talent yet possess an unidentifiable style of play. The team has churned out underwhelming displays, laden with an apparent lack of coaching as evidenced in the absence of cohesion.
The thrashing by Liverpool ruthlessly exposed two seasons of excuses by his former playing colleagues and a section of the media.
The inability to get the best out of a talented squad will work against the Norwegian when the board addresses his future.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
