Man United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under fire as his team have failed to keep pace with the big guns picking up just a single win during their first four games of the new season.
Man United drew their previous game vs Southampton despite the Saints playing a large part of the match with 10 men and this draw means Ole’s team have now slipped down to the 8th spot on the table with just 5 points.
But according to former Manchester United full-back Gary Neville, it still isn’t time to hit the panic button.
“They just don’t have that clinical element to see games off,” Neville said(as reported).
“I think Man United are on the right track… the first thing Man United have to do is to have a group of people in the dressing room who want to be there.
“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is trying to play the long game. He needs support from up-above. He needs really strong leadership over two to three seasons to be able to have the four or five transfer windows he needs.”
And even the Man United manager had the same concerns as his former teammate saying that his players need to be ruthless infront of goal.
“We’ve dominated the last three games and know we are on the right track, getting used to that way of playing,” Solskjaer said after Man United drew vs Southampton.
“In the last three games they haven’t given many points in return, but we’re getting better and better playing this way. It’s a young team that will get used to it.
“But today was a matter of we’ve just got the game where we wanted, we were winning 1-0, that’s when you can get that counter-attacking football, be more clinical, ruthless when we go forward.
“But it wasn’t to be, but we just gave them enough encouragement to stay in the game.
“I don’t know how many shots we’ve had today and in the last game against Palace but it’s a matter of taking the chances and that’s what football is all about, getting it inside the posts.
“But we’ll get there, we’re working on it.”
VERDICT:
Gary Neville might be a pundit but at the end of the day he still is a Man United legend so obviously he will have a soft corner towards his former side.
But having said that, he has never gone after any former United manager – especially when they have been in the primary stages of their time at the club. So Neville’s urge to have patience makes very much sense.
Its no secret that Ole is taking a big gamble by laying the goal-scoring faith on Martial, Rashford and Greenwood but the Norwegian obviously has plans to bring in some top-class strikers as early as possible.
Till then, his players will have to work out of their skins in order to maintain their push for the top 4 and also to ensure that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keeps his job intact at Man United.
