United Corner- Will Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Be Given Time? Should He? (September 26th 2019)

United Corner- Will Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Be Given Time? Should He? (September 26th)

Football is a results business and I do think that is still going to be a major factor at Manchester United for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in what has been a poor start to the 2019/20 season.

Most Manchester United fans would have known it would take some time to get the squad rebuilt, but my fear is that the owners are trying to do that on a very cheap budget. A lot of faces have been removed from the squad, but you can't have serious ambitions when some of those are not being replaced and Manchester United's squad looks seriously thin in midfield and attack, issues that have been magnified by the injuries suffered to players in those areas.

The owners and CEO have not helped Solskjaer's cause and that is why I do understand the call for time, but ultimately this is coming down to blind faith in a manager who has not exactly pulled up trees in his previous jobs.

I will never lose my respect for Solskjaer from his days playing for Manchester United, but that can't be a reason to believe he can turn things around twenty years later as a manager. This is a club that needs to have those involved who can show they have the ability to develop the players they have, especially when the theory is that it is going to be a long-term plan to rebuild the squad, but I have not seen much from Solskjaer to suggest he is the man to do that.

Ever since being appointed the permanent manager of United, the results have slipped very close to the kind you would expect to see from a club being dragged into a relegation fight let alone one that is hoping to return to the Champions League. More away day woe at West Ham United on Sunday has increased the pressure and I have to question some of the decisions made by the manager.

Why would you play Marcus Rashford in the Europa League knowing Anthony Martial is still not ready to return to the squad? It surely played a part in the injury suffered by Rashford at the London Stadium, while I also have to question training methods that have seen so many of the players pick up issues in the first six weeks of the season.

It could be down to bad luck, but it leaves you scratching your head that Mason Greenwood would not have been used in the Number 9 to give Rashford some rest against the mighty Astana last week. I have spoken to people around me who think it was Solskjaer's way to build the confidence of the England international, which does make sense, but even that went wrong as Rashford missed a number of decent openings and then looked absolutely out on his feet almost from kick off on Sunday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it clear United had 'loads of options' in the forward areas so why didn't he use them all in that game against Astana and ensure United are not down to having no fit strikers at the club? Now they have to hope a 17 year old boy can come in and lift a team that has scored 16 goals in 17 games under his watch.

Of course missing the likes of Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba haven't helped, but United have long looked short of ideas in the final third which makes it all the more baffling that this was not an issue being addressed in the last transfer window. I don't blame Solskjaer for that- the club has made it clear that they are not going to invest the sums needed to really compete at the top of the Premier League- but I really don't understand the thinking of allowing the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez all depart and only bring in Daniel James to fill the gaps left in the squad.

That part is down to the boardroom and I won't blame Solskjaer for that, but his tactical decisions and substitutions are questionable to say the least. It is the main reason I can't really understand the blind faith many have in him, even if it does mean making yet another change in the manager's office, and the persistence in using players that are clearly not good enough means the whole idea of embracing the youth players is not exactly going to plan either.

I don't want the kids thrown in and suffering to be honest, but it does raise doubts about the 'loads of options' Solskjaer thinks he has in the squad. Maybe that is why his substitutions are tending to be as poor as they are, but we saw the same at the back end of last season with a deeper selection of players and it is hard to believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is going to get it right at Old Trafford.

I want him to, I really want him to, but that isn't going to be enough to get the job done. The top four does look really open outside of the top two, but Manchester United are no sure things with the performance levels where they are and where they have been for several months now.

The win over Leicester City out of the international break gave United and Solskjaer some breathing room, but the pressure has intensified again after Sunday's no show at the London Stadium. Games against Arsenal and Liverpool at Old Trafford are going to be very difficult and the away form since Paris means I don't have a lot of high hopes that Manchester United win at Newcastle United, Norwich City or Bournemouth in the next five weeks.

How has it come to this? Worrying about trips to St James' Park, Carrow Road and the Vitality Stadium? Yes the owners and the board are the biggest problems, but the manager can't just be allowed to oversee a season worse than the one David Moyes produced no matter how far we think United have fallen in the five years between the Moyes and Solskjaer eras at Old Trafford.

It would be a different story if United were creating a boatload of chances and showing the direction Solskjaer wants to take the club, but the football is back to the turgid rubbish we have seen for much of the time since Sir Alex retired. Right now it looks like a team that won't score goals and will struggle for a lot of clean sheets and that is a recipe for an unmitigated disaster.

I understand those who want to give Solskjaer two, three or even four windows to really mould the squad to his liking, but Manchester United can't finish 8th, 9th or 10th while we wait for improvements. Patience is one thing, but allowing a manager a 'Hall Pass' for months on end is not going to be the way any top club approaches things in this era.

Being manager of Manchester United does come with pressure and it is up to Solskjaer to get his players to respond and bounce back from the truly terrible display at West Ham United. I fully expect a win over League One Rochdale, but it is the game on Monday Night Football that is going to be telling and I would worry for Solskjaer if United were to go into the next international break with less than 4 points secured from their next two League games.

More and more questions are being raised about the suitability of a manager who has seemingly been given the permanent job at one of the biggest clubs in the world because of a honeymoon period and the fact he is considered a legend from his playing days. Personally I am not sure that is good enough to get United turned back around and my fears that Solskjaer was the 'easy' and 'cheap' choice to take over is coming back to bite United on the backside.

Hopefully I am made to eat those words with a strong set of results to take into the next international break, but I won't be holding my breath.


It was interesting to read the latest reports that the Glazer Family have accepted it is going to be a three year plan to restore Manchester United to the top of the table. Suggestions in the reports that they want to follow the Liverpool blueprint is not one I would disagree with, but Liverpool did follow the guidance of a manager who had won the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and taken that club to the Champions League Final.

That is certainly a CV that can be trusted much more than Solskjaer's so I am not sure this report means the latter is safe as manager of the club unless results improve.

The other factor at play is that the Glazers seem embedded and unlikely to be going anywhere despite rumours that people out there are interested in purchasing Manchester United from them. It will take a monumental offer to change that and most businessmen are going to weigh up the pros and cons and figure they don't want to massively overpay for a club that still is holding a debt from the buyout in 2005 and who will likely need plenty of cash to invest in the playing staff to get things turned around.


I think we all have to accept it is some road back to being amongst the elite of English and European Football and we don't have to look too far from home to see how far United have fallen. While I can credit the implementation of a plan to restore the club to former glories (or at least credit the report that suggests such a plan has been made), I do worry about the competency of the likes of Ed Woodward and Matt Judge to actually put those theories into effect.

At the moment it all feels like one step forward, two steps back at Old Trafford.

The hope is that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is going to start to put together a set of positive results that will put the malaise that set in at the end of last season and carried over to this one to the back of the mind. I don't advocate sacking managers months into their tenures, but I am also not going to believe for the sake of believing in someone who has not shown much in his managerial career to suggest that better things are around the corner.

Even if United finished outside of the top four but were playing good football and the development of some of the younger players was beginning to show I would say keep hold of things as they are. Ultimately it is going to be on the performances and results that a real feeling of any improvement will be judged and if they continue to slide as they have ever since Paris back in March, I can't help but think Solskjaer will need to be moved on.

Hopefully the next time I write something down about United we have just been on a run of five or six straight wins in all competitions, but nothing suggests that will be the case.

Then the question will have to change from Will Solskjaer be Given Time to SHOULD Solskjaer Be Given Time. At this moment I still want to back the manager as much as possible, but I'm losing faith in his ability and need some results to just pick up the belief once again.

United Corner- New Season, New Hopes (August 19th 2019)

United Corner- New Season, New Hopes

At the start of the 2019/20 season it feels like the three of the top four places in the Premier League are going to be taken by Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, but Manchester United fans have to believe there have been enough changes at clubs below those three that can give them the edge to earn their way back into the Champions League.

Like the 2016/17 season, Manchester United have two paths back into the Champions League in front of them and I do think a similar approach should be taken to this season as United had under Jose Mourinho to that season. Simply put United have to make sure both avenues through to the Champions League remain alive going into the final couple of months of the season.

Finding the balance between the Premier League and Europa League won't be easy, but it should not be lost on the fans that two of the last three editions of this competition have been won by English clubs. With a battle expected for a top four spot, Manchester United have to make sure they have every opportunity available to them for a return to the Champions League.

The 4-0 win over Chelsea to open the season will definitely have given the whole squad a shot of belief as well as the fans who were not used to seeing clean sheets at Old Trafford, but no one wants to get too carried away about a single game. On another day Chelsea would have got plenty out of that fixture with the way the game was developing up until Anthony Martial scored Manchester United's second goal, and I think most will know United have to be much improved going forward to find the consistency they will need to move back into the top four.

The top four- there was a time when that was a given for Manchester United and the only concerns at the start of a season would have been regarding a title challenge.

Under the current ownership United couldn't be much further away from the last days of Sir Alex Ferguson and it can't be ignored that their finishing positions in the six seasons since he retired have been 7th, 4th, 5th, 6th, 2nd and 6th.

Let's be honest for a second- Sir Alex was extracting every last bit of magic he had to keep United punching way above their weight during a period when there was apparently 'no value in the market'. David Moyes came in and things began to fall apart pretty quickly as a overachieving squad didn't appreciate the new voice in the dressing room who had removed most links to the Ferguson era in terms of his backroom staff, but the focus should not only be on the manager.

Another big change that summer was the departure of David Gill and the incoming Dick 'Ed Woodward who as proved a disaster as far as the footballing side of the club is concerned. For some unknown reason Woodward has not only considered him a master negotiator, despite the clear evidence to the contrary over the last six years, but he always seems to believe he knows more about football than those he is appointing to manage the club.

David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have all come and gone and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the fourth manager of this club in the six seasons that have been completed since Sir Alex retired. The one overarching feature has been Woodward and most owners would have recognised the problem at the club, but the Glazer family are not like most owners.

Manchester United has long been seen as an investment in which they have spent very little of their own money and been able to take out fortunes to the detriment of the Stadium and the playing staff. Twelve months ago the master tactician Woodward didn't want to invest in the playing squad for Jose Mourinho because he didn't believe there were better defenders on the list given to him than those already at the club.

Yet twelve months later he buys the player that Mourinho had requested? It all points back to finding the cheapest way to get into the top four while a title challenge is clearly not something that the club are going to chase, but more hope that is something that may fall into their laps. Otherwise it makes no sense to not back your manager after he has guided the team to 2nd place in the Premier League, but clearly with a significant gap to the Champions Manchester City at the end of the 2017/18 season.

Too often those who don't have a deeper look talk about the money United have spent under the Glazers, but it is only a tiny fraction of what those people have taken out of the club through their debt management or dividends they feel they are entitled to at the end of the season. This off-season a club that finished over 30 points off the top four invested around 70 million pounds when you include the money that came back into the club and only a fool would believe that is designed to get closer to Liverpool and Manchester City rather than trying to close the gap to those chasing the top four places.

We have seen 'Glazers Out' and 'Woodward Out' trending at times on social media, but the former aren't going anywhere until they receive a huge bid and even then the new owners would likely come from backgrounds that won't impress everybody. And Dick 'Ed Woodward is very secure in his role considering he is making the Glazers money hand over fist and ultimately that is all they really care about rather than the level of performances Manchester United are producing week to week. With that in mind, it does point to a tough road to return to the top of English Football unless there is a touch of luck involved.

You would hope the fans will be able to do something about the ownership of the club and the clown that seems to be running the football side, but as I have said above I do feel both are very secure in their positions at the moment. The time came in 2005 when things may have been changed, but it has been too long now and I think we have to accept the way it is.

As a season ticket holder at Old Trafford I am not that impressed by people being critical of those who go to games- my love for United far outweighs my dislike of the Glazers and Woodward and I refuse to let those people force me to do something else with my weekends.

I do want to see United restored to their past glories and at the moment the only thing that can really be done is getting behind Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and hoping he can find the right formula to start turning the club back around.

I am not going to revise history though, I did not think Solskjaer was the right choice. His managerial career to this point has been below average at best and the only real claim he had to being manager was that he was a former player of the club, but Sir Matt Busby, Tommy Doherty and Sir Alex Ferguson didn't have those connections and all managed to turn United around when they came in during difficult periods.

Ultimately you need to be the right manager so I am hoping more than believing in Solskjaer at the moment, although I would love to be very wrong and will stick behind the manager for as long as he is in charge at Old Trafford. The poor run to end last season has to be a concern and I do think the remainder of August and early September will give us a real indication of what Solskjaer can achieve at the club.

Some will say he needs to be given a couple of years to really put his stamp on the squad, but I do feel Solskjaer will only be given that if Manchester United return to the Champions League at the end of this season. Over the next few weeks trips to Wolves, Southampton and West Ham United will be a real test for the manager and the club, especially considering United earned just a single point from those away games last season.

Home games against Crystal Palace, Leicester City and Arsenal round out the next six weeks and United only managed 5 points from those corresponding fixtures last season so we will learn plenty about the management team United have. Last weekend United did beat Chelsea, who earned a point at Old Trafford back in April, so that is a positive start, but I do feel Solskjaer needs to oversee at least 14 points from those six games coming up to make sure Manchester United remain on track for their ambitions to be achieved this season.

Even if United manage less than that, at this stage of the campaign the fans will stick behind the manager and rightly so. No matter our personal feelings about whether a player or manager is right for the club, I do think it is important to back them as United fans as we have done throughout our history.

There are going to be some obvious frustrations at times, but those should be focused on the board and above, even if ultimately the sword will fall on Solskjaer if things don't go as we would like. He might not have been my choice, but Solskjaer is our manager and I hope in nine months time I will regret ever doubting him.

The next few weeks are going to be very important for all United fans as the League settles down and we can really analyse where the team stands. I wasn't as happy as many that Romelu Lukaku was moved on, but we have to respect the fact that Solskjaer did not see a place for the Belgian in the way he wants his team to play and so it was better for both Lukaku and the club that he was sold.

It is a shame that money was not reinvested into a midfield that has lost Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera in recent months and I do think United look light there. There is going to be a sharp focus on the attackers to score enough goals to help United as I do think the midfield is going to struggle in plenty of games, especially when they come up against clever midfields that the likes of Wolves and Leicester City will employ.

Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will help defensively, but Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof are yet to convince and I am not sure Manchester United are going to be vastly improved at the back. On another day Chelsea score two or three goals last week and games in the next few weeks will tell us a lot about where United stand as I have said a few times now.

I am hopeful that a top four place can be earned- I don't think Arsenal have improved significantly from a defensive point of view and Chelsea's loss of Eden Hazard will hurt. Even if the next few weeks don't go as well as I would hope, I think it will be a season long battle for the top four as all those teams chasing those places have some inconsistent moments and I could even include Tottenham Hotspur in that.

It does mean United will have their chances, but much depends on whether they can score enough goals and I would not get carried away by the capitulation Chelsea had last week. I feel United have been left short of numbers when it comes to attacking areas on the pitch and the midfield- there are some very promising youngsters coming through, but I am not sure they can be relied upon to carry the club just yet.

Comparison to the 'Class of '92' feel wide of the mark as those players came in to play alongside established, proven Premier League winners in Peter Schmeichel, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona and I am not sure the United current squad has those kind of winning personalities. It will make it harder for young players to make the impact they would want and I also think it would be harsh on them to be asked to fill in the obvious gaps in the squad if they are not suited to those positions.

Last week some suggested Mason Greenwood should start on the right of the team- while I agree that is a problem position, asking a 17 year old to play there when he is clearly a centre forward that likes scoring goals is not going to be good for his development.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is going to be judged on all of these decisions though, I just hope he gets them right.

This is a new season though and over the last couple of months the stench of the poor ending to the 2018/19 campaign has been washed off. Like many fans, I do come into this one with renewed optimism despite a sub-par off-season when United did not come close to making the kind of investment they had been suggesting at the end of last season.

I do think Maguire and Wan-Bissaka will improve the team and Daniel James can learn and develop, but the midfield conundrum continues to be on that the club either can't, or refuse to, address. I am hoping Fred can come good after a season becoming accustomed to the League and Scott McTominay can hopefully kick on, but United look short in there as well as failing to address the right side of the attack.

Deep down I feel it is going to be an inconsistent year in front of Manchester United, but I do think the top four is a fairly open battle and I expect United to be there or thereabouts. The Europa League should offer the club a long run in a major European competition and Chelsea proved you can finish in the top four of the Premier League and win that trophy too.

There will be moments of frustration and there will be ups and downs, but that's part of the journey of being a football fan. Manchester United's road to recovery and bridging the gap to two of their biggest rivals is not going to be a short one, and it will be rocky at times, but the hope is that there is finally a plan in place as to how United will get there.

With the Glazer family and Woodward around, I wouldn't count on it and we can only hope Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can help this squad achieve their full potential.

United Corner- Papering Over the Cracks (October 19th)

United Corner- Papering Over the Cracks (October 19th 2018)

Things were looking pretty bleak two weeks ago when Manchester United trailed Newcastle United 0-2 at half time of the final Premier League game before the international break.

Rumours had been rampant that Jose Mourinho was on the brink of being sacked and the atmosphere turned pretty toxic inside Old Trafford.

My stand is the East and things turned from shock to anger through the course of the first half, but importantly that anger has tended to be focused on the board and especially 'Dick 'Ed Woodward' who looks to be the main cause of a lack of investment made in the playing staff this past summer.

That is not something that will be lost on the manager, who it has been suggested leaked the rumour that he was about to be sacked, and I think it will have given Mourinho a real boost.

Coming back from 0-2 down at home to win late in the game will help, but it is always going to paper over some of the cracks and in the cold light of day it has become clear that this is going to be perhaps an even tougher season than the most negative of United fans would have imagined.

Mourinho warned this was going to be the case if he didn't get the players he wanted and it is still surprising to think Woodward didn't think Toby Alderweireld was going to be an upgrade on players like Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. However I do think Mourinho was talking from the point of view of challenging for the Premier League title and he would not be expecting Manchester United to fall out of the top four in the table.

Instead there is the feeling that even a top four place is going to be tough to achieve for the club with the current group they have. Unlike last season, David De Gea has not made the stunning saves to prevent Manchester United dropping points in games and the overachievement of finishing 2nd in the League table may actually have been a long term detriment to Mourinho and the club.

It certainly gave the board more optimism than they should had as they try and 'cheap' their way into the Champions League. That has almost all been eroded and things could look that much tougher by the end of this next set of games leading up to the November international break.

In that time Manchester United have to visit Chelsea, Bournemouth and Manchester City in the Premier League and all three clubs are above United in the League table. There is also a double header with Juventus to come in the Champions League and I can't help think Manchester United should have made more from the fixture list they had over the first couple of months of the season.

With that in mind it does feel the win over Newcastle United in early October is going to be little more than one of the last 'good' days under the management of Mourinho. Barring a real upturn in form I can see the pressure reaching a intolerable high by the time the next international break rolls around and I won't be surprised if the manager is gone before the end of this calendar year and perhaps as early as mid-November.

I don't really blame Jose Mourinho for the misfortunes of United as much as I do the players who are trying to exert their power much like the ones at Chelsea and Leicester City have done in recent years.

However I am not of the belief that Mourinho doesn't at least deserve some blame for how this season has begun.

Regardless of what his supporters think, I do believe his tactics are out-dated and the manager is simply not able to cope with the high press that so many clubs are playing with these days. The defence is not good enough for the way Mourinho wants to set his teams up, but the lack of cohesion in the final third between his players is on the manager.

I am not someone who looks back on the end of the Sir Alex Ferguson era with rose-tinted glasses because there were a number of times when the football wasn't great, but that group of players had a winning mentality instilled in them. That allowed United to turn around games when they fell behind, but this current crop is simply not good enough and not supporting Mourinho in the transfer market just seems to be a completely baffling move from the board.

If they don't want to support him they should sack him, but instead the club is left in some kind of limbo as they continue to fall some way short of the marker set by Manchester City.

That's a gap that looks like it will only get bigger this season with 7 points already between United and what looks to be progressive rivals in Liverpool and Manchester City... And personally I only see that being a few more points bigger by the time we hit the November international break.


One reason I don't want Mourinho to be sacked is I don't want the players to feel they can down tools whenever they are upset with a manager in the future. That would be the biggest mistake in an era of mistakes made by Dick 'Ed, but the situation may be untenable if United suffer through the tough fixture list coming up over the next month.

It still feels like a matter of time before Mourinho is moved on and Manchester United will be back to square one with their haphazard recruiting, which seems to be based on tracking players Manchester City have been linked with, and also Dick 'Ed will be picking his fourth manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

I do think Mourinho would have had considerably more success if he had taken over immediately after Sir Alex retired and the transition from the long-term manager into the new era may have been more comfortable. Now United fans have had to support three managers who look to have been out of their depth or past their sell by date.

So where would I go from here? If it was a short term appointment I would actually consider Arsene Wenger who could instil a positive brand of football at the very least.

However like Louis Van Gaal and Mourinho, Wenger may have seen his best days pass him by and instead I would perhaps consider Roberto Martinez as someone who could be prized away from his current team.

Diego Simeone would be a popular choice, while Antonio Conte has had success in the Premier League, but I don't see the former leaving Atletico Madrid and the latter may not want to work in the constraints that saw his time with Chelsea strained at the end.

Martinez is a manager who likes to play attacking football, although his defensive work can be questioned. However this looks to be an era when attacking football is paying off spectacularly and Martinez could employ a style where attack is the best form of defence for Manchester United.

He has experience of the Premier League in his time with Wigan Athletic and Everton and while he didn't have the best success with the latter Martinez could have learned from the mistakes he made. Importantly he has won silverware in England unlike David Moyes and the work being done with Belgium has to be respected.

I am not sure Martinez would get the excitement levels of the fans moving too much on his appointment, but the style of play will quickly erase the doubters around him. For the first time in years the football would be enjoyable and the Spaniard would be my surprise choice to take over.

The next manager has to be someone who knows the Premier League and plays the kind of football the fans are craving. Martinez does tick both boxes and I think he could have some real success with United especially with some of the young, attacking players already at the club.


Ideally this will all be a moot point and United can win at Stamford Bridge, the Vitality Stadium and at the Etihad Stadium while doing the double over Juventus in the Champions League.

I would love that to be the case.

It feels more like a hope than a real belief though and the pressure could return on Mourinho immediately out of the international break if United were to lose at Stamford Bridge.

Things do need to change at Old Trafford from the very top of the club, but at this time it is the manager who is going to be the scapegoat for the performances and it does feel the Newcastle United win only papered over the obvious cracks.

Hopefully Jose Mourinho is going into the November international break with some real positive momentum behind him, but the manager looks unhappy, the players look lost around the tactics and the fans are getting more and more irritated by the performances of the board.

It all feels toxic around United despite the win last time out and I can only see it all coming to a head in the weeks coming up.

United Corner- Avoiding Third Season Syndrome (August 17th 2018)

United Corner- Avoiding Third Season Syndrome

Let's face facts, that was a pretty miserable summer transfer window for Manchester United and I don't think anyone would have been that surprised when hearing the reports of Jose Mourinho's discontent at the club.

It is his third season at Manchester United after all and his 'football heritage' suggests this is the time when it all goes wrong for Mourinho as fans, players and, most importantly, the decision makers at club begin to lose their belief in the manager.

This is a huge season for Mourinho to change the narrative on his career and see if he can get even more out of his squad of players who finished a huge way behind rivals Manchester City last time around. I can feel for the manager in some ways as there are some clear gaps in the playing squad that need to be filled with the right wing and the full back positions looking like particular weaknesses.

However I don't think Mourinho has any right to be complaining about not being allowed to spend a fortune on yet another centre half when big money signings like Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof have not been given the opportunities they should have. While some belief those two are not good enough to play at centre half for Manchester United, I simply don't think either has been given enough time and it might have made more sense for Mourinho to have played them together down the stretch once the Premier League title had long gone.

Injury might have been a factor for Bailly, but Lindelof was fit and he has showed he has plenty of potential in his performances for Sweden over the last twelve months. We know what we have in Phil Jones and Chris Smalling (and not much if you ask me) but Mourinho persisted with two players who are clearly some way short of the level required at a club of this size.

The rubbish Mourinho insisted on telling the media that he would only play those who could be going to the World Cup made even less sense with Smalling no where near Gareth Southgate's plans while Lindelof was going to start for Sweden. Players coming into the Premier League have regularly needed time to discover their best form so the board had every right to not want to spend a big price on defenders like Harry Maguire and Yerry Mina who may not be much better than Lindelof and insist the manager gets more out of the pieces he has in those defensive pressures.

It was a blow missing out on another attacking player though as I think that could have helped bridge some of the gap to the top. I know many who really rate the likes of Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford, but personally I think both need to improve significantly to really help United take the next step while Anthony Martial doesn't seem interested to fulfil his obvious potential.

That means more pressure on Alexis Sanchez to deliver having underwhelmed since being signed from Arsenal, while Romelu Lukaku and Paul Pogba also have to improve in the coming season.

Things have not been helped by what has been an obvious falling out between Pogba and Mourinho and there are all sorts of signs that United are going through what Chelsea did three years ago in the months leading up to the second sacking of Mourinho at Stamford Bridge.

Jose Mourinho has to have learned that the power is with the players these days and his constant digging of all and sundry in the press is getting tiresome. The shot at Antonio Valencia in the days after his pre-season injury shows no player is safe, but it looks like the decision to undermine Pogba's performances at the World Cup has gone against Mourinho.

However while United win the boat will not be rocked too much... Or so I would hope!

The problem is really going to develop if United lose and it was so important they managed to beat Leicester City by hook or by crook on the opening weekend of the season. Jose Mourinho seems determined to blame anyone but himself whenever United underachieve but this time I can see the dressing room completely turning on the manager.

I think Mourinho is smart enough to see there will only be one winner if he continues to pick a fight with someone who is liked as much as Pogba is in the dressing room and in the boardroom, but I also have a real belief that he will be looking for a way out if United hit a poor patch of form.

That means it is critical for this club to keep the wins coming and keep the problems from escalating into something that could see the club implode in the 2018/19 season. Finishing out of the top four would be a huge blow to the stature of Manchester United and how they are perceived by other clubs, but that is a real fear for me if they suffer a poor result and things reach a head between the manager and the players.

Beating Leicester City has at least settled the fans even if the reports suggest Pogba and Mourinho have had a second falling out over the past few days. You can't help but worry when you see how things have ended for Mourinho with Chelsea (twice) and Real Madrid but Manchester United can at least put those issues to the back of the minds for the fans if they can put another three points on the board at Brighton this weekend.

This is not going to be easy but United have more players returning to the fold after their World Cup exploits and there were some positives from the win over Leicester City that does make me believe all is not completely dark around Old Trafford. Fred and Andreas Pereira were both comfortable on the ball and it certainly helped United look like they could play with a little more tempo than they produced for much of the season, while both were happy to take the ball in tight places and then move it FORWARD.

Pogba's goal and performance was a boost, and the return of Lukaku this weekend and likely Ashley Young to come in at right back may just give United a team good enough of winning at the Amex Stadium.

It is definitely something to build upon, but everything could come crashing down if United lose here like they did a few months ago.

After the trip to Brighton Manchester United face their first really big test of the season as they host Tottenham Hotspur on Bank Holiday Monday. Having some momentum to take into that fixture will be important for the club else it could be a long eight days between games with more reports likely coming out of the unhappiness of key players as well as Mourinho's own discontent with the board.

That whole situation is overshadowing everything at Manchester United at the moment, but winning games is the best remedy for getting everyone back onto the same page.

Right now performances are not a massive concern for me, United just have to show enough to suggest improvements are not far away and also have to keep winning games. The fixture list certainly gives United the chance to really put themselves in a good position in the League table by the time November comes around (remember Mourinho said we will know who are title contenders when that month comes around) and at the moment winning games is all teams want to do as players continue their recovery from their World Cup exploits.

A bit more positivity from Mourinho will also ease the feeling that this partnership between the manager and United is heading towards a terrible conclusion. It seems someone has got in his ear about that in the last ten days or so, but the best way to keep everyone happy will be continuing to win games.

United Corner- Time for Big Decision for Mourinho (February 15th)

United Corner- Time for Big Decisions for Jose Mourinho (February 15th)

Valentine's Day is a time to spend with loved ones, but those who love Manchester United will still have been dissecting what has gone wrong in the last couple of Premier League away games at Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.

The results is one thing, but the manner of the defeats hurt all the more as Manchester United didn't play anything like how we would have expected.

It means big decisions for the manager ahead of a very important week for Manchester United with an FA Cup Fifth Round tie followed by the resumption of the Champions League and then a big Premier League game against Chelsea next Sunday.

At this stage you would have hoped Mourinho would know the best formation and system for his team, but the signing of Alexis Sanchez in the January transfer window has provided another option for the attack. However the lack of real cohesion in the attacking play at Wembley Stadium and St James' Park has to be a concern for the fans.

Ultimately the choice is going to come down to Mourinho and how he wants to play his team, but I have to say I am stunned that he has not found a way to get the best out of the likes of Paul Pogba who has been at the club for eighteen months.

As much as I have admired Mourinho's work down the years and at Old Trafford, I have to say the time has come where you have to wonder if he can get this team taking the next step in his development. My concern comes out of the fact that he seemingly is not finding a way to get the best out of the best players he has at his disposal and that has to be a negative over his reign.

The best players United have are David De Gea, Pogba and Alexis and the team should be built around them.

One of my more recent criticisms of the United tactics have been the way Anthony Martial has been shifted into an unfamiliar position to accommodate Jesse Lingard.

And the bottom line for me is that Lingard is not good enough to be a Number 10 for any top club, let alone Manchester United.

I don't hate Lingard like some supporters seem to do, but I do recognise what he is. For me he is a player that seems to find a big goal and is in the right place at the right time, which is a positive and not a criticism, but picking a pass and making the right decisions in the final third are not his forte.

A real Number 10 has to be able to do that and Alexis has made it clear that he would prefer that spot in the team so why is Lingard starting in that position?

Play your best players in their best positions!

If Jose Mourinho is insisting on sticking with his 4-2-3-1 system, then that is much more like how I would have United line up in Sevilla (assuming Bailly is not fit to play).

I don't think Chris Smalling or Ashley Young are playing well enough to start that game with Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo (or Bailly) ready to come in and it puts Alexis and Martial into positions where they feel they can contribute their best.

And you want those two to be at their best rather than Lingard who can still play well enough on the problematic right side of the team. If he isn't comfortable, Juan Mata can play that position and I just think it makes United look more effective going forward.

Does that get the best out of Paul Pogba though? Not as far as I am concerned and I think Jose Mourinho has two other options for the game in Sevilla and perhaps even the home League games against Chelsea and Liverpool to come.

These two teams are essentially the same with minor differences, but both have the three man midfield which can open things up for Pogba to operate much further up the pitch.

Pogba's best performances for both club and country have been in that position where he can turn and run at the defensive players while finding options all around him. His best 

game for Manchester United recently came in that position in the 0-2 win at Goodison Park and I have no idea why Jose Mourinho would not want to play the best centre midfielder in a position where he would be most effective.

I love Anthony Martial, but he would have to be sacrificed in this system because he isn't a right winger as far as I can see. However he could be used if Mourinho wants more movement and quality right up top with Alexis replacing Lukaku and then using Martial from the left side.

Having that option would make United very, very dangerous on the counter attack while also having the strong defensive base that Jose Mourinho wants.

I don't mind Lukaku as the focal point either, but Alexis does give you options and is someone who feels more threatening in the middle of the park. Sometimes you have to accommodate that by also keeping Paul Pogba in a strong position and that means making sacrifices.

Mourinho has spent a lot of money on Lukaku so using Alexis in a position on the left where he has thrived since coming to England is feasible to me. I just don't want the rest of the team to be shoehorned into unfamiliar positions and then asked to be very comfortable in big games.

Martial as an impact player is not a bad option off the bench and I prefer that than him starting on the right side where he has never looked his best.

Out of the three options above I would most definitely go with the second and then look to Pogba and Alexis to produce their best. It's also one that can be changed if United need to bring in another attacker in games against 'weaker' teams, but over the next week I would play that formation and personnel against the likes of Sevilla and Chelsea.

It gives Mourinho the strong defensive shape, while also opening things up for the top players in the squad to make the big positive impact we fans are all hoping for.

I am just praying Mourinho does not start the same XI that have played so poorly at Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United in the last couple of weeks as that won't inspire confidence.

Instead of dragging Pogba off and giving the critics more to sink their teeth into, I hope the manager can put him in what has clearly been his best position for United and France.

These are big decisions for Mourinho to make, but ultimately they could determine if this season is a success or a real failure with the top four far from secured.

United Corner- The Arrival of Alexis Sanchez (January 26th)

United Corner- The Arrival of Alexis Sanchez (January 27th)

I refused to get carried away when the news first broke that Manchester United were interested in signing Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in the January transfer window.

It was almost universally accepted that Sanchez was going to Manchester City either in this window or on a free in the summer having seen the move to the Etihad Stadium pulled from underneath him in the summer transfer window in 2017.

But then the story developed.

And developed.

And Manchester City pulled out with the 'financial package' one they were not prepared to pay and that opened the door for Manchester United to bring in one of the best players in the Premier League.

What a transfer and the right choice to take over the famous Number 7 shirt which had been left vacant to be filled by a name of the magnitude of Alexis Sanchez.

This was the player I wanted United to bid for when he was leaving Barcelona in the same summer the club spent more to bring in Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid. At the time I thought Sanchez was the better fit at the price and the style of play, although Di Maria was also a player I admired, and it turned out to be the case with Sanchez thriving in the Premier League and Di Maria lasting just a single season before moving on to Paris Saint-Germain.

But now finally United have their man and I have to say there are so many positive feelings about the transfer. Alexis Sanchez is the kind of special player United have been missing in the final third, someone who can change a tight game in an instant with a brilliant pass or a fine shot and the Number 7 shirt is fitting for him.

I have little doubt Sanchez is going to be a success at United and now I am feeling glad that Chile have missed out on the World Cup, purely for selfish reasons. I do enjoy watching Chile play, but they, and Sanchez, haven't had a summer off for a number of years due to World Cups, Confederations Cup or Copa America commitments.

Sanchez can help United achieve big things in the second half of this season, but I am looking forward to a rested and settled Sanchez taking off next August as a stronger bid to win the Premier League title will be expected of the side.

Do I think this makes Manchester United a threat to win the Champions League? While not a favourite, Sanchez is the kind of signing that can change tight Knock Out ties in Manchester United's favour and I definitely think United are a dark horse to go all the way to Kiev in what looks a remarkably open Champions League.

Sanchez can also play in the Cup and I don't see any downside to this deal with the obvious talent the Chilean brings to the squad.

I am sorry that Henrikh Mkhitaryan had to be sacrificed to get the deal done, but it had become clear that our midfield Armenian didn't have the full temperament to play for Manchester United. I think he will thrive in the less pressurised atmosphere of playing for Arsenal, but the expectations of Manchester United wore heavy on Mkhitaryan's shoulders and he was almost certainly going to be leaving in the summer.

To swap him for Sanchez was an absolute no-brainer as far as I am concerned.

The big question most Manchester United fans had in the cold light of day once the excitement of the Sanchez transfer was completed was where Sanchez was going to play- Jose Mourinho has made it clear that he feels Sanchez can play anywhere in the front four of his favoured 4-2-3-1 system, and I don't agree with the critics of the deal who suggest the Sanchez signing is a hindrance to some of the young players in the squad.

The most notable is Anthony Martial who has been in stellar form this season and looks to have seen off Marcus Rashford as the starter for Mourinho on the left of the three chief supporting players to Romelu Lukaku. That left side has been an effective position for Alexis Sanchez and neither the Chilean or Martial are as comfortable on the right, but I still believe both will be accommodated in this team.

Ever since it was becoming clear that Sanchez would be arriving at Old Trafford, my feeling has been he will chiefly play in the 'Number 10' spot in the team with some creative license from there.

Jesse Lingard has been playing fantastically well in that position, but I do think Lingard is going to be shifted to the right side which remains the real problem position for United. I would expect Lingard and Mata to fight for that place, while Martial and Rashford battle for the left side.

Rotation will play a factor, but I imagine if all of the players are available to Jose Mourinho then his team would look like this:

De Gea, Valencia, Young, Jones, Bailly, Matic, Pogba, Lingard, Martial, Sanchez and Lukaku.

In big games where Mourinho wants an extra body in midfield it may be Martial sacrificed to be used as an impact player with Sanchez moving over to the left. The counter attacking options are improved too as Mourinho could choose to use Sanchez up front with Martial and Lingard in support in those games and use Lukaku as the impact player instead if United need a goal.

For me this makes Sanchez an excellent signing to give Mourinho the options he is craving and I really can only seeing this being a successful signing for the side.

There has been one negative around the Sanchez deal but it is one being pushed by the media and nothing to do with the player being signed. This whole situation of it being a decision to win trophies or sign for money when it came to signing for United or City is laughable.

I must have been asleep during the time that Manchester United have stopped being the most successful English club and one that is clearly improving. Yes City are ahead at this moment in time, but I honestly think United have as good a chance to win the Champions League and with one more transfer window I would expect Mourinho to get us much closer to the leaders next season.

The other element of the deal was the way the fees have been reported- I am not sure when the media started reporting deals including every cost because it sounds like United are paying millions while Arsenal are paying nothing to have Mkhitaryan arrive (who has become their highest paid player by all reports).

Liverpool just paid £75 million for Virgil Van Dijk to Southampton, but I didn't see a report mentioning how much all his wages and agent fees and signing on bonuses were going to cost them over the course of his contract? I can imagine it will be much closer to a £140 million deal if reported the same way as the Sanchez deal.

But you know what, that won't matter if Mourinho can create another United versus the World atmosphere around the club. That has proved to be very successful in the past and this is the kind of signing that will put all the ABUs on notice that Manchester United are taking another step back towards the top of the English and European game.

United certainly look to be making the right moves and I just hope Mourinho is backed again in the summer transfer window to really get things right at the club. His new contract to extend his time at Old Trafford keeps the positive vibes coming out of the club and hopefully United can back that up with a couple more big results to end the month of January.

The signing of Alexis Sanchez could be a catalyst for a really strong end to the 2017/18 season and then a rested Sanchez can help Manchester United produce a huge Premier League title push next season.

A special player wearing a special number is what has been missing at United in the last few years and I am looking forward to seeing Sanchez with the famous red shirt on.