Manchester United must stick with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, according to former forward
Replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would not solve Manchester United’s problems, according to Dimitar Berbatov.
The Red Devils are currently eighth in the Premier League after winning, drawing and losing their opening six games in equal measure.
It follows a poor end to the previous season where the Norwegian only won two league matches of their final nine, after reviving their fortunes following a poor start.
And the 38-year-old recently retired forward reckons United should stick by their icon-turned-manager.
“The pressure on Solskjaer is there and the truth is it's a difficult situation,” the Betfair ambassador said. “When you lose people want you out and when you win nobody says anything.
“For me they still need to give him time, it's not possible for the coach to go every time there are a few bad results, the next one will come in and it will be the same, it's a vicious circle and you cannot escape that.
“So, they need to give him more time, the games and the standards haven't been there recently but I'm sure they are working hard on the training pitch.
“I sincerely hope that he can turn things around, I love him as a human, a football player and I want him to succeed as a coach.
“He is at the club where he is a legend, the club have given him a chance and he has great staff and people around him.”
United have struggled to replace the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson with the likes of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho all failing.
Solskjaer seemed a peculiar choice to replace Mourinho, with the Old Trafford legend failing in a managerial role at Cardiff in 2014.
But an initial resurgence saw United unbeaten in their first 12 league games with him at the helm - and 14 of his first 19 in total.
Defeat, though, in the Champions League quarter-finals to Barcelona saw a poor turn in form.
Berbatov, who played under Ferguson between 2008-2012, believes United’s high expectations require extra time to meet.
“It is a matter of time, let’s not forget Sir Alex Ferguson won the league in his sixth season so it's a long process and it's not as easy as people think.
“You don't just go on the training ground and give the balls out and do exercise. There is a lot that a manager has to deal with.
To get rid of him now would be a mistake. Of course, the coach depends on the results of the team, so he is actually depending on his players and he needs the results, everybody knows that.
“This is Manchester United and they need to win, it doesn't matter which competition.
It would be a mistake if they try to replace him now but at the same time the manager depends on the results of the team, so from now until the end of next month if Manchester United continue to lose and draw it is going to be difficult to advocate and say they are working positively to turn things around, then in that situation what do you do?”
Click here for more from Betfair ambassador Dimitar Berbatov and here to find out more about the new Betfair Exchange ‘How to Hub’.
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