ONE STEP FORWARD, A GIANT LEIP BACK

After crashing out of Champions League, Reds face

OUT of the Champions League, it would not be the biggest surprise if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was to follow up the shattering blow of defeat by RB Leipzig on Tuesday by winning this Saturday’s Manchester derby. But, even a fourth victory in his last five meetings with Pep Guardiola, would fail to paper over the cracks in a regime that even two years in still looks in need of more solid foundations. GIDEON BROOKS looks as what has gone wrong – and what needs changing.

CONSISTENCY

Solskjaer will point to the fact United went on 11 and 19- match unbeaten runs in his first two seasons. Yet while they have lost only six times this term, how can the Reds thrash RB Leipzig 5- 0 and , within a week, l ose t o Arsenal at home and Istanbul? Then, they come back from 2- 0 down against Southampton , struggle to beat a winless West Brom, rip West Ham to bits in a second- half thriller, but then get torn to shreds by Leipzig. It needs an answer.

It i s the manager’s responsibility to have his squad at concert p i t c h e v e r y t i me. Some players feel they are being given too easy a ri de, but Solskjaer’s easy- going approach only works i ntermittently, rai sing questions about whether he needs a “bad cop” assistant.

DE GEA OR HENDERSON

Paul Scholes was brutal in his criticism of David de Gea for the third goal against Leipzig, saying he bottled out of a challenge with Justin Kluivert and was “scared of getting hurt”. There were also raised eyebrows when an injury, which stopped him from playing t h e s e c o n d h a l f a g a i n s t Southampton, was not enough to stop him training the next day.

The c l a mour f or De Gea ( below) to be replaced by Dean Henderson is growing daily, but h e o n l y r e c e n t l y s i g n e d a £ 375,000- a- week contract to 2 0 2 3 , ma k i n g h i m t h e best- paid player at the club.

OFF THE FIELD

Harry Maguire’s aguire’s arrest in My k o n o s o v e r t h e summer – which s a w h i m charged with ith aggravated d assault – w a s a p p e a l e d successfully. B u t i t d i s r u p t e d h i s f o c u s . M a s o n Greenwood has been under the spotlight since he was dropped by England for breaking Covid protocols, and has been accused of lacking professionalism in training. Solskjaer ( left) has denied the young star has an issue, but has dropped him from five out of 18 matchday squads suggesting all is not well.

An d Pa u l Po g b a h a s thrown h his toys from the pram afte after being relegated to the ben bench. United were furious w with agent Mino Raiola afte after his comments on the e eve of the Leipzig trip an and a parting of the w a y s s e e m s in inevitable. But, for s q u a d u n i t y , s o o n e r r a t h e r t than later would s surely be better.

TRANSFER T POLICY PO

The players Solskjaer wa n t e d h a v e b e e n