It’s two years ago to the day since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was relieved of his Manchester United duties following a 4-1 defeat to Watford.
The writing was always on the wall for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but the decision was not an easy one for the Red Devils. The dismissal of the Norwegian was meant to be a moment to kick on for Manchester United.
However, two years on, it looks like the same problems are still rearing their ugly heads for Erik ten Hag this time, and Ralf Rangnick prior to the Dutchman’s appointment at the club.
With the Glazers on the verge of relinquishing a percentage of their control of the club, the American owners have still not got the balance right at Old Trafford.
Player power
One of the reasons why Solskjaer’s time at United came to an end was due to the player power garnered at Old Trafford with Cristiano Ronaldo a big voice in the dressing room.
The Portuguese striker has big standards and didn’t meet eye to eye with Solskjaer or indeed Rangnick according to The Athletic.
In fact, Solskjaer has admitted that he regretted the decision to sign the former Real Madrid forward, despite his goalscoring exploits.
Ronaldo’s influence led to the players in the dressing room losing trust in Solskjaer first before Rangnick, who joined the club as an interim manager, with the promise of a consultancy role later down the line never being fulfilled due to the German’s struggles.
Well, two years on, the problems remain. Jadon Sancho has fallen out with Ten Hag. The Dutchman has done his best to remove Sancho’s influence from the dressing room but player power is still rampant at Old Trafford.
There were murmurs of discontent from within, as iPaper Sport reported that certain players were unhappy with the Dutchman’s decision following the 4-3 defeat to FC Copenhagen.
United are moving to address these murmurs of discontent but Ten Hag hasn’t quite got the same gravitas in the dressing room as Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola ], so he is struggling at the moment.
There is an argument that Ten Hag’s power at Old Trafford is going too far with Sancho being banished to the reserves at this moment in time.
It’s good that the Dutchman is being firm in his decisions but if he goes too far one way, then he risks alienating his players, which would be disastrous.
Manager power
The other aspect that has changed, but in a rather bizarre sense, is the power that the manager wields at Old Trafford. Despite their firm backing of Solskjaer, United did not back the Norwegian all the way.
Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland and Moises Caicedo would be at the club if the iconic United striker got his wish, instead Solskjaer got Odion Ighalo and Donny Van de Beek. But with Ten Hag, however, the power dynamic has flipped 180 degrees.
Ten Hag pushed for the signings of Antony, Casemiro, and Lisandro Martinez. The Brazilian winger, in particular, looks to be an expensive mistake.
Every player the Dutchman wanted, Wout Weghorst included, he got barring the one man who might have been the most revolutionary signing of them all, Frenkie de Jong.
Managers being backed makes a football club tick but if the club goes too far in one direction, then the club can become a mess.
United have been accused of jumping from one play style to another since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, backing their current managers with the signings they want for the short-term, not the long-term.
Having that continuity that comes with a director of football is key. United, however, don’t have one with his own ideas about football.
The power shift has gone too far in one direction. If Ten Hag is to be removed from his post, United will have to tear down the squad and start again, which is what happened when Jose Mourinho was dismissed.
There is no continuity at Old Trafford. The balance is not quite right.
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