Paul Merson can’t believe Man United ‘madness’ after what he’s heard about Ruben Amorim’s replacement
Paul Merson has been left in disbelief at reports claiming that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could soon return to Man United as their interim manager to replace Ruben Amorim.
Amorim was dismissed by Man United on Monday after 13 months in charge of the club due to long-term uncertainty around his tactics and disagreements behind the scenes.
Darren Fletcher has been appointed as United’s new interim boss, and he is a candidate to take charge until the end of the season alongside fellow club legends Solskjaer and Michael Carrick.
Solskjaer was the Red Devils’ manager between 2018 and 2021, as he led them to sixth, third and second-placed Premier League finishes and a Europa League final.
His return may well be welcomed by many United fans as they seek more stability and a calm presence in the dugout, but Merson is unsure whether the club would be right to go back to him in their current situation.
Merson labels Solskjaer’s potential return to United as ‘madness’
The Norwegian was a hero at United as a player, and he returned to the club as caretaker manager in December 2018 before being handed the permanent job in March 2019.
They are yet to finish above third place since his departure, but he was fairly sacked in November 2021, with the Red Devils seventh in the top flight after a run of just one win in seven Premier League matches.
Just over four years on, and he could soon return to Old Trafford on an interim basis, but ex-Arsenal star and current pundit Merson does not think United should offer him the chance to.
Speaking live on Sky Sports (7 December), he said: “Things have got to change. I like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, I like him, he seems a nice man…he’s already been sacked! So you’re going back to him?
“There’s a saying in life that if you keep on doing the same things over and over again, it’s madness. You get the same results.”
Who else is in the running to be United’s next manager?
Fletcher, Solskjaer and Carrick are all in with a chance of leading United for the rest of the season, with the former likely needing to oversee some good results while he is in interim charge to land the role until the summer.
Sources have told Football Insider that Enzo Maresca and Julian Nagelsmann are frontrunners to land the United job on a permanent basis, but the latter would only take the job after this summer’s World Cup.
Oliver Glasner has also been linked to the Old Trafford vacancy amid ongoing uncertainty around his future at Crystal Palace, but it seems unlikely that he will leave that post mid-season ahead of his upcoming contract expiry.