Miss Euro spot and next season’s bleak for Ole

THE Manchester derby is massive on so many levels for United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. After everything he achieved at the start of his tenure at Old Trafford, the prospect of Champions League football drifting away suddenly puts a negative spin on it all.

If Solskjaer doesn’t get United into the top four, next season becomes a bit

of a downer and it will be difficult in the summer both to keep and attract players.

This is the first time he has been questioned. I have said before United should have gone for Mauricio Pochettino but they stuck with Ole and he deserves his chance.

I do think we need to remember that United have been beaten by Barcelona twice, Wolves away twice and Arsenal away. They are tough games to win with a team that is not really his yet. This slide has been coming.

They have ridden the wave for so long. Solskjaer took United to a place we did not expect and once the run ended there was criticism. To judge him on that is a little harsh.

This is also the first time he has laid into his players. It was interesting to hear him call a few of them out this week. I did not expect that so soon.

Perhaps he was doing it to get a reaction before the City game on Wednesday. Perhaps he had seen something in training that annoyed him: a drop in intensity that he does not expect to see from a United player.

My worry for him is that, maybe, one or two players don’t see themselves at United next year. When that happens, there is a drop in intensity and that’s just what they don’t need against City. It all makes it a huge moment for him and United.