Pochettino rumours come as no surprise: Hard decisions lie ahead for Manchester United

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Amid the late hours of the transfer deadline, a report emerged claiming Manchester United had made contact with Mauricio Pochettino over replacing manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

It might have just been mischief making from The Star, trying to capitalise on the frustration of the fanbase.

But at a club where a manager was once fired within hours of winning the FA Cup, nothing can ever truly be ruled out.

Bad results like the weekend’s 6-1 defeat can bring about change. Just ask Pochettino. He was fired by Tottenham last year after a run of results which included a 7-2 home defeat to Bayern Munich.

A look at Manchester United’s list shows the club face a tough challenge after the international break.

This is about a tough of a run of games as Manchester United could have asked for.

With United flying and in peak form, this is the type of run the team should embrace. Right now that is not the case.

Defensively United are a mess. The midfield is not functioning as it should, and the front three have been lacklustre to start the season, Marcus Rashford’s goal away at Brighton aside.

For Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he will do well to come out of this run of fixtures with his job intact.

It is not just about getting results. It is about avoiding humiliation too.

Lose like we did against Tottenham again, and Solskjaer may not recover.

He has the international break to take stock, plan, and start preparing to use new players Alex Telles and Edinson Cavani.

Yes, Solskjaer has been let down by the board in the transfer window, but to start the season, he has under achieved with what he has available.

With just three points from three games, United enter this run of fixtures under pressure, sitting down in 16th place in the Premier League, albeit with a game in hand.

Solskjaer survived a bad start last season, but the intention is not for this to be repeated.

There could be some hard decisions ahead over the United boss if he cannot get the team up to speed over the coming month and hectic schedule ahead.

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