Poch rumours grow as Bruno urges Ole’s men to pull together
BRUNO FERNANDES has urged Manchester United not to dwell on another week to forget, even as rumours swirl of an imminent move to replace manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with Mauricio Pochettino.
Wednesday’s shock 2-1 Champions League defeat at unfancied Istanbul Basaksehir was the last thing Solskjaer needed, after last Sunday seeing his team continue their poor domestic form with a 1-0 home loss to Arsenal.
That increased the pressure on the Norwegian, with reports yesterday suggesting United have already made enquiries with representatives of ex-Tottenham boss Pocchetino (right) about his interest in the job.
However, Fernandes insists it is not all doom and gloom at Old Trafford, and called on critics to remember this is also a
United team that beat Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig.
‘Of course, after two defeats it’s hard to think or say something about this,’ said the Portugal playmaker, when asked about confidence being knocked.
‘But I think we need to look one week ago. Everyone was talking about we’re going well, we’re doing amazing games. We won against Newcastle, against Paris, we beat Leipzig. We draw against Chelsea in one game when we can win. But, of course, the points we have in the league is not the points we want.’ United’s trip to Everton tomorrow is a crunch match that can dictate the narrative that carries through the forthcoming international break.
Victory would be a welcome shot in the arm after an alarming defeat in Istanbul, where Solskjaer labelled the schoolboy defending ‘unforgivable’.
‘Today was important for us winning the game to be comfortable in the table,’ added Fernandes. ‘But now it’s the same, we need to do the same: going for every game, trying to win, and it will not be different now in the Champions League.
‘We are in a good position. In the league we are not in a good position – we all know that. We need to do much better, and we need to do something more than say, “Do something in the next game” already because it will be a difficult game for us. Our focus now needs to be already there.’