There is a "witch-hunt" to get Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked as Manchester United manager, according to former defender Phil Neville, who claims the club's recent Champions League exit is not a "disaster" but rather "disappointing."
It was certainly a disappointing night for the Reds on Tuesday night as they slumped to defeat against Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in Group H, ending their hopes of European glory with a far-from-inspiring performance inside the Red Bull Arena.
On-loan Manchester City full-back Angelino opened the scoring after just two minutes played after slack defending from United, before Amadou Haidara and Justin Kluivert, son of former Barcelona and Ajax striker Patrick Kluivert, made it 3-0 with just 20 minutes remaining.
Advert
Solskjaer's side, like they have done on so many occasions since his appointment, managed to find a late resurgence in the second half through Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba but it wasn't enough as Julian Nagelsmann and his grey checkered suit progress to the Champions League knockout stages.
After the result on Tuesday night, many criticised Solskjaer for his team selection and tactics in the pivotal tie as they went 2-0 behind after just 13 minutes. Former United defender Phil Neville, meanwhile, backed his old teammate on BBC Radio 5 Live.
"There's an awful narrative where the minute United lose a game it seems like a disaster," he said.
Advert
"It's not a disaster tonight, but it's disappointing. United wanted to be in the last 16 but there are Manchester United teams in the past with better managers than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - like Sir Alex Ferguson - which have gone out at this stage.
"It does happen, it has happened. It's quite a freakish time at the moment. There are managers in the Premier League who are below United in the league but have great reputations and don't get the stick Solskjaer gets."
Neville went on to claim the narrative from inside the doors at Old Trafford is "far different" from that of outside the club.
Advert
"If United win on Saturday - and Ole's teams tend to do well in big moments, I think Saturday is a big moment for the manager and for the players.
"They played poorly in the first 30 minutes, they got punished in a group which was really, really difficult and they're out of the competition. They're now in the Europa League, they've got to go out and win that.
"The narrative from inside the club is far, far different to that outside the club, where it seems there's a total witch-hunt to get this boy out of the job."
Thoughts on Solskjaer's tactical decisions in last night's clash in Germany? Did he get it right?
Advert
Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Football News, Phil Neville, Football, Manchester United, Champions League, RB Leipzig, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Old Trafford
