The clock is ticking on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time at Old Trafford. The Manchester United manager is looking more likely than ever to get the sack after their 5-0 home humiliation at the hands of bitter rivals Liverpool in the Premier League.
Meanwhile, there is more bad news for OGS. Aside from United’s stars reportedly losing their faith in him, one of the big-name managers who has been touted as his possible replacement – Antonio Conte – is apparently open to taking over at Old Trafford should Solskjaer get the sack.
Read on below as SBOTOP rounds up the big Premier League 2021 news surrounding Man United and the Solskjaer saga.
Solskjaer losing the Man United dressing room
Things are not looking good for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The under-fire Manchester United manager is coming off what he describes as his “darkest day” in charge at Old Trafford in their horrific 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool, a result that has only worsened an even bigger problem, which is that many United stars have already lost faith in him.
According to ESPN and other outlets, United players have been frustrated by Solskjaer’s tactical shortcomings, particularly his lack of solutions for their struggling defence. They are also displeased by supposed “favouritism” Solskjaer has shown toward certain players while failing to give chances to other players in the squad.
Bruno Fernandes said after United’s comeback win against Atalanta in the Champions League that the players were still behind Solskjaer.
“Of course, obviously, he is our coach. We follow him every day. We show that. We follow his ideas and we will continue to do so.
“We believe in our coach and our staff… we need to do what the coach tells us because our coach is the maximum exponent of what we must respect. He has been here for three years and we’ve done good things. It’s true that we haven’t won anything up to now, but the team has shown it has grown a lot.”
But it appears there have been issues surrounding Solskjaer bubbling beneath the surface, and they have finally started to come out during this recent run of disappointing results.
Conte keen on United job, Zidane not interested
Unsurprisingly, some of the biggest names available in the managerial market have been linked with the Manchester United job amid uncertainty about Solskjaer’s future.
Antonio Conte is at the top of many people’s list of candidates to replace Solskjaer, and it appears the Italian is ready to make that a reality.
Conte, who has won five league titles in his coaching career including the Premier League with Chelsea, is reportedly willing to talk to United about the managerial job should it become available.
Man United’s Premier League 2021 odds are not too promising after their poor start, but Conte’s arrival would certainly boost their chances.
However, United have not yet made any official contact with Conte while they are currently contemplating Solskjaer’s future with the club.
Meanwhile, Zinedine Zidane is reportedly not interested in taking on the United job should they move on from Solskjaer.
Zidane, who has been linked with United in the past, coached Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane at Real Madrid, where they won La Liga twice and the Champions League three times. He is also a big fan of Paul Pogba, whom he wanted Real to sign.
However, the 49-year-old Frenchman is apparently in no rush to return to management and is willing to wait for another opportunity to arise.
Christensen’s contract talks with Chelsea stalled
And in non-Manchester United Premier League news, Chelsea centre-back Andreas Christensen’s contract talks have apparently gone silent for the last two months.
The 25-year-old Dane’s contract expires in June 2022, which means he will be free to talk to other clubs from January 1.
But despite the Dane’s impressive form and his desire to stay at Stamford Bridge, the club’s current offer would still have him among the lowest-paid players in the squad.
Aside from Christensen, Chelsea are in danger of losing another key defender in Antonio Rudiger, whose contract is also set to expire and has attracted interest from Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Chelsea are currently well-stocked at centre-back, with veterans Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva as well as youngsters Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr, who have impressed when given the opportunity to play by Thomas Tuchel this season. They are also keen on Sevilla’s Jules Kounde, who came close to signing in the summer transfer window.
So while Christensen and Rudiger have been among the team’s most consistent performers since Tuchel’s arrival, it seems like they are the ones set to make way at Stamford Bridge.
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