Solskjaer prevented Manchester United coaching staff from altering club’s style of play: Reports

According to reports, sacked Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer vetoed Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna’s suggestion to switch to a back-three quicker.

Solskjaer’s United player in a 4-2-3-1 formation until their recent 5-0 drubbing against Liverpool, which also included a Mohammed Salah hat-trick. Following the embarrassment, Manchester United switched to a 3-5-2 which earned them a comfortable 3-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur.

They stuck with a three-at-the-back formation for their Champions League 2-2 draw against Atalanta. However, they were beaten 2-0 against Manchester City with this formation. Hence, United were back to a 4-2-3-1 in the 4-1 thrashing at Watford which proved to be the Norwegian’s final match in charge.

Now, team sources have revealed that both Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna wanted the team to switch formations quicker than they ended up doing. Before the match against Tottenham, United had managed only one clean sheet in 13 games across competitions.

Additionally, McKenna’s coaching methods are highly unpopular with some of United’s senior players. The coach has been described as a school-teacher but finds his job intact despite Ole’s sacking.

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Manchester United are through to the Champions League knockouts despite consistent criticism from all corners

Paul Scholes expressed his frustration at the likes of Michael Carrick, Mike Phelan and McKenna not being sacked along with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Manchester United legend claimed all three should have felt too guilty to continue working for the club. He said this as the Norwegian manager was known to trust his coaching staff.

Scholes was under the opinion that none of the three coaches deserved to stay. However, it has emerged that Ole ignored their advice with respect to the change in formation.

Against Villarreal, the likes of Jadon Sancho and Donny Van De Beek both started, who had been on the sidelines under Ole. Sancho easily produced his best performance as a Red Devil thus far against Villarreal.

Scholes claimed that the victory was not special. He opined that Carrick had only been able to get his 11 players to do their jobs at their respective positions. The search for a long-term replacement from Manchester United is reportedly in full fledge. However, Ole’s coaching staff might still face a lot of scrutiny over the coming weeks.

Michael Carrick dedicated the victory to the sacked manager. He knows that the team needs to continue producing wins if he has to safeguard his long-term coaching role with Manchester United. A majority of the club’s supporters believe that the temporary manager along with both Phelan and McKenna should also have been sacked along with Ole.

However, the club did not plan for a change in manager and could be forgiven for having only sacked Ole. While Scholes in particular might not be pleased with the way the Norwegian’s sacking is being handled, Manchester United are currently out of options.

Any long-term solution to the club’s innumerable issues must begin with the appointment of a tactically-sound replacement. Until then, Carrick and company will be hoping to earn a coaching role at Manchester United in the years to come.