Manchester United’s board are hoping results will improve to spare them a decision they would rather not make.
United are invested in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer being a success. There are also off-field reasons the club would prefer to keep him in charge.
Part of the equation is financial too. Sacking managers can be an expensive business.
How much would it cost United to sack Solskjaer?
United’s decision to fire Jose Mourinho in 2018 was an expensive one, even if it felt necessary.
The Guardian reported United paid £19.6 million to Jose Mourinho and his staff as a severance package.
Around £15 million of this went to Mourinho, as per his annual salary.
This expensive payment reportedly made Manchester United more cautious.
The Metro reported in 2019 that Solskjaer had written into his contract that a severance payout would be capped at £7 million for him.
This figure was reflective of Solskjaer’s annual salary at the time. This past summer Solskjaer signed a new contract extension.
The Mirror report his three-year deal breaks down at £8.3 million per year.
So United are likely looking at a figure in this region to pay off Solskjaer if he is fired, and it won’t end there.
Solskjaer’s coaches’ futures will be in doubt. Mike Phelan would likely follow him out the door. Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna both preceded Solskjaer in being appointed by the club, and so both could stick around.
All three have recently signed new deals. While the staff are not as extensive as Mourinho’s, United are likely looking at a couple of million in further pay-off.
Around £10 million
United would likely be paying around £10 million to Solskjaer and his staff as a severance payment if he is fired.
Like with Mourinho’s dismissal, the full figure would not become truly clear until it were published in the club’s financial accounts several months later.
In comparison to the Mourinho pay-off, this is cheap, a consequence of United hiring a manager without a big reputation.
United would still prefer it does not come to this. While results recently have been dire, it is not too late for Solskjaer to turn his fortunes around.
Performances have not looked promising though, and both manager and players have a big task on their hands to spark an improvement.
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