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Manchester United are reportedly on the verge of sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The club legend did a good job in his first two full seasons as manager, leading the club to third-placed and second-placed finishes in the Premier League. He also led the club close to winning trophies but his team stopped just short of it.
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Manchester United were a mess when Solskjaer took over
When Solskjaer was brought in to replace Jose Mourinho, he inherited a broken squad. There was no structure in place and there was plenty of deadwood. Solskjaer has done a commendable job in offloading players who were no longer needed and helping the club add at least a semblance of a structure.
He has also recruited well. It's a job that comes with immense pressure but it's one that Solskjaer managed to negotiate well for the greater part. But the 2021-22 season has been a departure from what we've seen in previous seasons.
With Solskjaer set to be relieved of his duties, some Manchester United players need to take a long, hard look at themselves. Without further ado, let's take a look at five players who have let Solskjaer down massively in the 2021-22 season.
#5 Victor Lindelof
Having signed Raphael Varane from Real Madrid in the summer, Victor Lindelof was expected to become a squad rotation player at Manchester United. However, due to Varane's injury concerns, the Swedish international has featured on a regular basis.
The Red Devils had the fifth-best defensive record in the league last term. Lindelof has made 13 appearances across all competitions this campaign and has helped his side keep just one clean sheet this season. It came against a Tottenham Hotspur side that was in dire straits when the two sides met.
Lindelof has been awful at the heart of defence. His positioning is poor and his aerial ability is suspect. The 27-year-old had done a decent job in the 2020-21 season but his performances have dropped several levels this season.
When Varane was ruled out with an injury, Solskjaer would have counted on Lindelof to make a claim for a starting berth. It almost feels like the Swede didn't even make an effort. Lindelof rarely shows initiative and often does nothing to even get in the way of shots.
#4 Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been a colossus in defence over the past two seasons. Even though his attacking contributions are rather poor, Wan-Bissaka makes up for it with his assured tackling and sense of timing.
However, he has a propensity to get caught out of position every once in a while. It has become way more regular this season. His defensive work has been nothing to write home about this season and on most days, it's difficult to figure out what he is doing in this Manchester United side.
He dithers on the ball way too much and his crossing is poor. Wan-Bissaka rarely gets into good positions when Manchester United are on the ball as well. But his awful positioning when his side are huddled up inside their own box is perhaps the most alarming.
It has gotten to the point where teams have started exploiting Wan-Bissaka's positional weaknesses by putting in crosses from the right wing to the far-post. He deserves to be dropped but Manchester United don't have a better alternative.
#3 Scott McTominay
Time and again, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stuck to his preferred double midfield pivot of Scott McTominay and Fred, commonly referred to as 'McFred'. The Old Trafford faithful are convinced, and rightfully so, that Fred is perhaps more undroppable than McTominay.
This is because Fred is the only player in the side that presses and hounds opposition players. McTominay has been extremely clumsy this season. He is one player that Solskjaer has counted on time and again but the Scot has let his manager down multiple times.
He conceded a silly penalty against Watford last night and seemed off-pace. McTominay is simply not at a level where he can control proceedings from the center of the park for a club like Manchester United.
He has been poor in all of United's heavy defeats this season against the likes of Leicester City, Watford, Liverpool and Manchester City.
#2 Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw was one of the best left-backs in Europe in the 2020-21 season. He was a creative force down the left side for Manchester United and his driving runs contributed greatly to their attacking power. However, Shaw has been a shadow of his former self this season.
The 26-year-old has been poor in all the big matches so far and his appalling lack of awareness cost United goals against Liverpool and Manchester City. He has lost more duels than he has won this season and that shows how unreliable he is in defence.
Shaw also has just two assists in 15 appearances this term. The Englishman seems to lack belief and has offered little on both ends of the pitch. Solskjaer would have been counting on his left-back to keep his levels up this term particularly with some high-profile attackers being signed in the summer.
However, Shaw has been a huge disappointment all season and has done his managers no favours over the past few months
#1 Harry Maguire
Like Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire was one of the best defenders in the Premier League last term. He was immense in aerial battles and was good at making blocks inside the area. But Maguire has let his weaknesses take over this term and has been embarrassing at the heart of defence this term.
The former Leicester City man is known for being good with the ball at his feet. But he has been lousy in that respect this season. He has dilly-dallied in possession far too much and it has come to the point where he looks like Manchester United's weak link when they are trying to play out from the back.
Maguire made several errors as Manchester United were thrashed by Leicester City. He kicked on in the same vein against Liverpool, Atalanta, Manchester City and Watford. He is one of those rare centre-backs who is really poor at tackling.
To make things worse, Maguire is the captain of Manchester United. Just when the Red Devils seemed to be routing a comeback against Watford after going 2-1 down, he was sent off in the silliest manner.
Maguire has consistently let Solskjaer down this term and this was one season where the latter would have wanted his captain to stand up and take responsibility.
