Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the favourite in England to take over as interim head coach of Manchester United. A decision United boss Racliffe will have to endure being praised for, having spent the first year in charge removing everything that the “old” and established United have stood for, but Britain’s richest have an extension for Ten Hag, then fired four months later, then sacked Ruben Amorim, the coach who would have three years to succeed, shown he doesn’t particularly care about not “losing face”. This is pure business. English Goal explains why Solskjaer at the helm is the best decision for Ratcliffe.
“Man Utd SHOULD look to the ‘old guys’ like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Darren Fletcher to heal the wounds of Ruben Amorim’s reign – elite coaches will not want to work within the rigid INEOS system,” Goal begins in his analysis.
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“In the end, Ruben Amorim couldn’t handle being told what others should do. Despite being the first man in Manchester United’s history to be appointed under the title of “head coach” rather than “manager”, he decided that he wanted the latter role. What he ultimately meant was that he wanted to be in control, and he certainly didn’t want others to interfere in his affairs.”
“Amorim should have seen this situation coming. Thomas Tuchel certainly did. According to respected German TV pundit Marcel Reif, Tuchel was ready to take over United in the summer of 2024, before being told he would not have the final say on transfers. He had been in a similar position in the past with Chelsea and Bayern Munich, and reportedly promised, “I won’t do that to myself again.”
“However, Amorim felt that not only did he not have the last word on transfers, he also did not have the last word on his tactics, and ‘blew up’ when director of football Jason Wilcox spoke to him about changing his system. Wilcox certainly had reasons to encourage Amorim to adapt – even though the Portuguese had told him time and time again that he would not – as United failed to achieve positive results in too many games that could be won.”
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“Erik ten Hag’s desire for control – he had veto power over transfers – also put him on a collision course with United’s directors. The club’s new regime with INEOS controlling football operations will either deter candidates like Unai Emery and Oliver Glasner, or eventually become useless in a year or so when whoever succeeds Amorim doesn’t get his way.”
“Ten Hag didn’t like being the subject of Jamie Carragher’s Sky Sports analysis on Monday Night Football, and although Amorim claimed he didn’t pay attention to the media, his latest comments about Gary Neville showed that he cared: “Constantly being torn apart by former United captain Neville, who “is critical of everything.”
Then comes the conclusion of Goal, why Solskjaer and the gang have to come in.
“The only people who understand how big this club is are those who have been in it for many years. That’s why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick are the most convincing candidates for United right now. They don’t need a crash course in how the club works, how every word you utter resonates around the world and can be twisted to suit someone else’s agenda.”
“They also know what drives United players and that it’s never a good idea to go to war with a member of the first-team squad. Solskjaer never spoke publicly against the players during his three years in charge. Instead, he took a group that had been knocked down by Mourinho’s negativity and led them on a run of 14 wins in their first 17 games.”
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“Solskjaer knew that the carrot, rather than the stick, was more effective at United. The Norwegian would never have called his team “the worst in history”, a damning claim from Amorim that only served to further drain the team’s confidence, nor ridiculed individuals like Marcus Rashford or Alejandro Garnacho. He would also never have spoken out against the academy, the club’s greatest source of pride, by criticising youngsters like Harry Amass or Chido Obi.”
Just do it, Ratcliffe.
