Yahoo News Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to be sacked as Man Utd manager with Darren Fletcher lined up for interim role
The former Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher is poised to take temporary charge of the club’s Champions League tie against Villarreal on Tuesday as the curtain comes down on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign following a crushing 4-1 defeat at Watford.
Telegraph Sport understands that Fletcher, 37, who was installed as the club’s technical director in March following a stint on the academy and first team coaching staff will be the interim manager when Solskjaer is relieved of his duties in the next 48 hours. As well as a role in recruitment for the club, the former United midfielder, who won five Premier League titles at United and a Champions League, has been an active member of the first team staff in recent months and oversaw the warm-up at Vicarage Road on Saturday.
It followed another day of drama at United that ended with the team’s seventh defeat in 13 games and Solskjaer booed by his own fans as he applauded them at the final whistle.
The Old Trafford hierarchy have been keen for Solskjaer to get through the season, having backed him with a new three-year contract in the summer, but there were more discussions involving co-chairman Joel Glazer and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward over the manager’s future on Saturday night. Solskjaer and his players are due to report for training on Sunday but the manager knew that there was a firm expectation from the club to win at Watford.
The convention under the Glazer ownership has been to give themselves a small window of time to make decisions and not to respond in the immediate aftermath. The appointment of Fletcher on a temporary basis would give them some room to manoeuvre.
United have taken just four points from the last available 21 in the Premier League and are now in a battle to finish in the top four. Many of the candidates United have considered previously are currently in jobs. One available option is Zinedine Zidane, winner of three Champions Leagues with Real Madrid between 2016 and 2018 and currently out of work. There is admiration for the Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino, Brendan Rodgers of Leicester and Ajax’s Erik ten Hag.
Harry Maguire’s dire form took another turn for the worse when he was sent off at Vicarage Road with Watford leading 2-1 before two more late goals completed another humiliation for United, who have been hammered by Liverpool and outclassed by Manchester City in recent weeks.
A shell-shocked Solskjaer raised his hands in apology to United’s travelling fans at the end of the game, with some supporters responding with boos and gestures. Bruno Fernandes gestured angrily at those United fans who booed Solskjaer at the end of the game when he went over to applaud the away end.
Asked whether he was still the man to lead United, Solskjaer said: “I always have belief in myself. Of course, at the moment it's a difficult time for us, I can see [that]. I can trust every single one out there to give what they have. The staff is fantastic but the results are difficult of course but I believe we can turn this around.”
His goalkeeper David De Gea described the performance as “embarrassing”. He told Sky Sports: “For sure something is wrong. It is very wrong. What we are doing is very low level and very poor. I have to say sorry to the fans.
"It’s been very bad for a long time. For a club like Manchester United, we have to fight for trophies and for big things. We are far from that. Let’s see. We have to keep working hard and stick together. We always say the same things but that’s the truth. We have to look at ourselves, one by one.”
De Gea added: “I think it’s not acceptable. It’s easy to blame the manager and staff but sometimes it’s the players.
Fernandes said in an interview with beIN Sports that the blame was not Solskjaer’s alone: “Its everyone’s fault it is not the coach or one player or two,” the United midfielder said. “Everyone has to take the responsibility, everyone has to do better.”
He said: “We don’t go on the front foot, we don’t tackle, we don’t win our duels. Against these teams you have to win that. You have to try to keep the same intensity as them and show why you play for Manchester United.”
Watford’s first half goals came from Josh King and Ismaila Sarr, with two late in injury time at the end of the game from substitute Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis. There was a rare appearance as a second half substitute from Donny Van De Beek who scored United’s only goal. Sarr also had a first half penalty twice saved by De Gea after referee Jonathan Moss ordered it to be retaken for encroachment. Kiko Femenia had scored a rebound from the first that was disallowed.
Solskjaer said: “I understand fans who follow the club through thick and thin. They've been fantastic the last few years, it's a difficult period. We've had a hard time since Sir Alex [Ferguson] left and fans who've been with us the last few years since I have come in have been unbelievable. They have understood the situation. The signings this summer with Rapha [Varane], Jadon [Sancho] and Cristiano raised everyone’s expectations and rightly so because we have brought some top players in and after being second last season we hoped to kick on. And at the moment we can't seem to find our form."
On the Fernandes confrontation, he said: “I understand, that's their right to show their opinion. Bruno is such a passionate boy and a man and he knows football can change quickly.”
He added: “Watford outfought us. We allowed them to put the ball in our box too easily. Ben Foster was on the halfway line when he puts that ball in [for the first goal]. There are so many things that can go wrong in football and too many did in the first half.
“I need to get the players to perform better. That's my responsibility, that's the biggest thing now. They’re so disappointed. They’re working. They’re trying to find their confidence back. Second half I was very pleased with. Don’t get me wrong, the whole afternoon was so disappointing, so far away from our standards. But I have to say the attitude, the quality, the application until the last 20 minutes - we played some very good football, created loads of chances. That shows their attitude. Donny and Antony [Martial] came on … they gave us quality.”
