Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left fighting for Manchester United future as Antonio Conte eyes job

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was clinging to his job on Monday night after Manchester United’s hierarchy held crisis talks over the manager’s future and the team’s collapse amid serious concerns about how their season is unravelling.

Solskjaer’s position is under intense scrutiny after Sunday’s 5-0 humiliation at home to Liverpool triggered an inquest at the top of the club and it is understood significant parts of the dressing room have lost faith in the manager’s ability to take the club forward.

Joel and Avram Glazer, United’s co-chairmen, held emergency talks with executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, and his expected successor, Richard Arnold, on Monday after a calamitous past few weeks that has sent their season into a tailspin.

Senior sources at Old Trafford claimed that there had been “no change” to Solskjaer’s position but accepted that there was “a lot to do to turn things around”.

One senior figure claimed the club had been “let off lightly” by Liverpool and that the scoreline could have been much worse after Paul Pogba was sent off with half an hour left and Jurgen Klopp’s side already leading 5-0.

In a damning indictment of United’s woeful form, Luke Shaw, the left back, admitted the Liverpool result had “been coming”.

Antonio Conte is understood to want the chance to succeed Solskjaer but the former Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan coach would seek full control and the Old Trafford hierarchy have previously held reservations about the demanding Italian, despite his outstanding coaching credentials and trophy haul.

Sources at Old Trafford distanced themselves from claims in Italy that there had been conversations with Conte’s representatives.

United were left scarred by Jose Mourinho’s tenure and any move for Conte may be considered to represent a departure from the club’s self proclaimed “cultural reboot”.

But United have been so wedded to Solskjaer, who signed a new three-year contract in the summer, that their sudden implosion has left the club’s decision-makers scrambling as they reflect on what has gone wrong and their options going forward.

United have coveted the former Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino in the past but he remains in charge at Paris Saint-Germain and well placed sources believe a lack of available candidates could be another factor influencing the club’s thinking over Solskjaer.

United face Tottenham, Atalanta and Manchester City before the international break next month in a crucial run of fixtures. They have taken just one point from their past 12 in the league and trail leaders Chelsea by eight points in a season when Solskjaer was expected to mount a sustained title charge.

Despite remaining well-liked by players and staff, Solskjaer faces a challenge to convince the dressing room to pull behind him as faith in his methods erode. He tore into the players at half-time of the Liverpool game, with his team trailing 4-0, before issuing a rallying call after the game when he urged the players to “fight” their way back from what he described as “rock bottom” and his “darkest day” in football.

Yet multiple dressing room sources have indicated that Solskjaer no longer has the trust of a number of players, opinions that have hardened over the course of a dreadful past week during which time United have conceded 11 goals in three games and looked hopelessly disorganised.

Solskjaer’s tactical acumen, selections, reluctance to make big decisions and indulgence of underperforming players and star names have all been called into question inside the dressing room as results and performances go from bad to worse.

One dressing room source said there was disbelief among some players that Solskjaer and his coaching staff had picked the same team against Liverpool that had been taken apart defensively in the first half against Atalanta in the Champions League four days earlier.

Solskjaer is understood to have been challenged by a numbers of players during frank exchanges before the Atalanta game when United came from two goals down to win 3-2.

Eric Bailly is believed to have asked why Solskjaer picked his fellow centre half Harry Maguire to play in the 4-2 defeat at Leicester a few days earlier, despite the captain being unfit after just one training session on the grass after three weeks out with a calf injury. Maguire endured a miserable game but kept his place for Atalanta and Liverpool, when he committed more glaring individual errors.

There is also understood to be bemusement among some players that Solskjaer insisted on wanting a big squad but has frozen out players such as Donny van de Beek and Jesse Lingard, despite the listless performances of so many regulars and used others, like Nemanja Matic, sparingly. Solskjaer is believed to have responded by urging his squad to trust him.

Cristiano Ronaldo is also thought to have become frustrated by some of Mason Greenwood’s decision-making and reluctance to pass in goal scoring positions. Ronaldo made a pointed remark about the attitudes of some younger players in an interview before the Liverpool debacle.