Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warned he needs six more signings to avoid quick Man Utd sack
MANCHESTER UNITED manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been told his future will come into question as early as Christmas if the club are struggling in the race for a top-four finish and that only a mass of incomings would prevent such a possibility.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warned he needs six more signings to avoid quick Man Utd sack (Image: GETTY)
The Red Devils won just twice in their final 10 games of the season after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed permanently last term and slumped to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League.
The Norwegian was given the job full-time after an impressive spell as caretaker boss which included going unbeaten in his first 11 games and guiding the club into the Champions League quarter-finals having been down and out against Paris Saint-Germain after losing the first leg 2-0 at home.
But the disappointing finish to the season saw the optimism quickly subside and underlined the work still needed at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer has not hid away from the fact he needs time to turn things around at Manchester United, who have not put together a real title challenge in the seven years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement when he left the club as league champions.
Yet Kilbane thinks Solskjaer will not be afforded the patience required if United are on the outside looking in in regards to the top-four race.
United have missed out on Champions League qualification three times in the last six years but can ill-afford a prolonged spell outside of Europe’s premier competition as they seek to catch Manchester City and Liverpool at the summit of the top flight, the pair having both finished over 30 points clear of United last term.
Solskjaer has made two signings so far this summer in Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka as he looks to freshen up the United side, with the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Sean Longstaff and Harry Maguire all on his radar as he continues to try and strengthen.
But player-turned-pundit Kilbane believes that United need at least two more signings on top of those three, with Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba among those players linked with a move away.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warned he needs six more signings to avoid quick Man Utd sack (Image: GETTY)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warned he needs six more signings to avoid quick Man Utd sack (Image: GETTY)
It’s in the balance whether or not we think he’s going to be a success there. I’d probably say with that squad he needs massive changes.
Kevin Kilbane
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He told Irish outlet Off The Ball: “If United are struggling and they’re mid-table Christmas-time, there’ll be serious questions.
“If United are struggling and not looking like they’re going to get Champions League next season and they’re struggling overall I think they’ll make a change.
“It’s in the balance whether or not we think he’s going to be a success there. I’d probably say with that squad he needs massive changes.
“Two centre-halves, midfielders, they need probably another striker, a player who is going to provide a creative spark.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warned he needs six more signings to avoid quick Man Utd sack (Image: YOUTUBE/OFFTHEBALL)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warned he needs six more signings to avoid quick Man Utd sack (Image: GETTY)
“You’re looking at five or six players in there. United look like they won’t sign the calibre of player that’s needed before the window closes.
“You need someone that will come in with a dramatic overhaul of the club that is going to change the coaching structure across the club. It’s not going to be the case [under Solskjaer].
“We might look at United in two years’ time as they are now. That’s probably the way it’s going to be for United.”
Manchester United kickstart their 2019-20 campaign when they host Frank Lampard's Chelsea on Sunday August 11.