Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer has been sacked as Manchester United manager following the club's dreadful recent run of results, which culminated in the 4-1 defeat at Watford on Saturday.
However, the Red Devils' woeful form has not been the only reason for the Norwegian to be relieved of his duties.
According to the Telegraph, an enormous split had developed between the Manchester United players and Solskjaer, which by the end of his spell turned out to be decisive in his sacking.
An increasingly complicated situation
The English newspaper went on to reveal that the doubts held by the players over the coach have been in play since 2019.
Questions over lack of a definitive playing style and a clear identity plagued Solskjaer's spell right up until his sacking.
In fact, Manchester United had planned to part ways with Solsjkaer at the end of his first season following consecutive defeats to Everton and Manchester City, but no decision was made.
Although his side were much improved last season, with 21 victories and 74 points, they were still some way off of challenging for the Premier League title.
The players began to lose confidence
This season, after their bright start had faded dramatically, Solsjkaer held crisis talks with Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Nemanja Matic, Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof, but by that point, many of them had lost faith in their coach.
The tension had been building for a number of weeks up to that point. According to the Telegraph, during the club's 3-2 victory over Atalanta in the Champions League group stage, Solsjkaer was openly challenged by a number of his players in an intense verbal exchange.
It was a key indication that his relationship with his players was on a tightrope, if not yet completely broken.
Open fronts
This season, a number of first-team players have challenged Solskjaer's authority, which has seen it dramatically undermined.
According to the Telegraph, Eric Bailly questioned why Harry Maguire was starting ahead of him, arguing that the Englishman was not fully fit.
Other players, such as Jesse Lingard, Alex Telles and Nemanja Matic have also been extremely unhappy with their treatment by the coach this season.
Until the end of the season... Or not
According to the Telegraph, Manchester United's hierarchy maintained their faith with Solsjkaer until the humiliating 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool at the end of October.
Nevertheless, the club decided at that point to stick with the coach until the end of the season, but this has not been the case, as the results have not improved.
A goodbye that leaves a bitter taste
As Manchester United announced that Solsjkaer had been sacked, the club expressed their gratitude for the job he has done since taking over in 2018.
"Manchester United announce that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his role as manager," read the club announcement.
"Ole will always be a legend at Manchester United and it is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision.
"While the past few weeks have been disappointing, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past three years to rebuild the foundations for long-term success."
Solsjkaer leaves his post having been unable to secure a trophy during his time in the Old Trafford dugout
0 Comments