Watford humiliation the final straw as Solskjaer nears Manchester United sack

Almost everyone said Manchester United were going to be title contenders before the start of the season. How wrong they were.

The Red Devils have been utterly dire and disappointing thus far. They now seriously risk missing out on a place in the Premier League’s top four.

This is certainly the worst period the club has experienced since Jose Mourinho’s disastrous final days in 2018. Manchester United are currently not playing well and the results have simply been disappointing.

United were battered by Leicester City, Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League. It was thought that the November international break would serve as a grace period for reflection and introspection. However, they returned in worse condition after being thrashed by Watford on Saturday.

Watford humiliate Manchester United

There are very few words to describe Manchester United’s performance against the Hornets. There was no character, no fight and certainly no willingness to compete.

It was a complete humiliation as Watford ran out 4-1 winners. While Joshua King’s opening goal was too easy, Ismaila Sarr was left unmarked to double Watford’s lead.

Donny van de Beek came on to reduce the deficit early in the second half. But Manchester United capitulated late after Harry Maguire was sent off. Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis wrapped up an emphatic win for the hosts.

The boos from the Manchester United fans at full-time were a reflection of the contempt they felt while watching their team. It was a terrible performance and this cannot continue.

No way back for Solskjaer

A heavy defeat to Watford looks set to be the final nail in Solskjaer’s coffin. The Norwegian manager has done his bit but it’s now time to let him go.

He took over a broken dressing room and managed to restore confidence. He also restored the club’s image and rebuilt a team that is capable of challenging for titles.

But that was as far as it went. He’s a nice guy and his man-management is top-notch, but he’s not tactically up there yet. That is why the team continues to repeat the same mistakes each week.

"I feel for the fans and I feel the same as them, we're embarrassed losing the way we did. We are in a very bad run and bad situation but that's part of football,” Solskjaer said in the aftermath of the Watford game, as quoted by Goal.

He further added:

“They'll support the team and whoever is on the pitch and sometimes you have to say sorry and that was a sorry for the performance. [Losing my job] is not for me to worry about - I work as hard and as well as I can with the staff I've got, top people, professional players but at the moment we're not getting the results. I feel very low."

There’s surely no way back for Solskajer now, with the Manchester United board agreeing to terminate his contract. He’s a club legend and he’ll always be remembered as such. But as a manager, Solskjaer was just not the man to take the Reds to the next level.