Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has opened up about the increasing pressure on his shoulders, insisting that he believes in himself to see this rough patch through.
During his pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester United’s UEFA Champions League meeting with Atalanta on Wednesday, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spoken out about the pressure that is building on him after some recent results.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had quite a promising stint as the Manchester United manager. Having initially come in as a temporary replacement for Jose Mourinho in December 2018, the Norwegian delivered solid results in the initial months as the interim boss before being appointed permanently by the club.
Over the last couple of years or so, Manchester United have made definitive progress under the tutelage of Solskjaer, making a habit out of reaching the latter stages of cup competitions while claiming back-to-back top four finishes. However, the Red Devils are yet to win their first trophy under the 48-year-old.
The pressure on Solskjaer, though, is growing after a big summer transfer window that saw Manchester United bring in three world class players in Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the results have not necessarily followed, with Manchester United winning just one of their last five matches in all competitions.
Leading up to their latest game, against Atalanta in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, Solskjaer has opened up about this growing pressure on him. The Manchester United boss, though, is insistent that he believes in himself and will see out the rought patch.
Solskjaer said, “I’m in dialogue with club all the time – open and honest. There is pressure on me, of course. We have progressed over the years, third, second… I’ve got my values as long as club believes in me, I’ve my way of managing and I believe in myself.”
The Manchester United manager then added, “We need to improve. Every team will go through a patchy period, we are in one now – the coaching staff we have got is absolutely amazing, the attention to detail, training sessions, preparations. I don’t think I could ask for better.”
The clamouring from fans and pundits alike has been growing since the defeat to Leicester City. Recently, Darren Bent has asserted that Manchester United should follow Chelsea’s lead in sacking a club legend and part ways with Solskjaer. However, it remains to be seen if the Norwegian tactician can turn his fortunes around and come out of this rough patch firing back.