Manchester United are set to renegotiate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s potential role as caretaker manager, but he has been given a boost even before he walks through the door.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to hold further talks with Manchester United on Saturday (Image: (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images))
Manchester United are set to renegotiate the role of caretaker manager with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with CEO Omar Berada and director of football Jason Wilcox set to meet face-to-face with the former player and manager. The club are considering the possibility of bringing the Norwegian back to Old Trafford until the end of the season as they look to buy more time to make a suitable permanent hire in the summer following Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
Solskjaer will bring a wealth of experience and know-how to the role, but he is not the only candidate Man United are negotiating with. Michael Carrick, 52, who previously served as an assistant on an interim and permanent basis, is a candidate.
Regardless of who the Manchester United bosses choose, one thing is for certain: whoever steps into the dugout at Old Trafford will be immediately targeted for reinforcements. Because Brian Mbeumo is set to be handed his return in the next week or so.
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The forward, signed from Brentford in the summer for a fee worth up to £71m, showed why so much money was spent on his signing with a strong first half of the season. However, there were some concerns at the club given his performances when the 26-year-old was one of three key players to leave ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Mbeumo joined the Cameroonian national team for the tournament, which sparked controversy as questions arose over who would actually be in charge and what squad list would be submitted. His team put those concerns aside and made it all the way to the quarterfinals, where they lost to hosts Morocco.
He is currently scheduled to fly back to Man Utd in the Manchester derby, potentially making a timely return to the club. United face City on Saturday, January 17th, which could be their first match, provided the next caretaker manager is appointed in time for such a big match.
Brian Mbeumo will soon return to Manchester United after Cameroon are eliminated from AFCON (Image: (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images))
Mbeumo’s return is a boost for the club, but it remains to be seen whether other key stars will be in the squad for this match. Morocco’s victory raises questions about Nosair Mazraoui’s availability, with him set to play at least one more game in the competition.
Amad and Ivory Coast face Egypt in the AFCON quarter-finals on Saturday night in a mouth-watering draw. The 23-year-old has scored three goals and provided one assist for his country so far in just four appearances and could be the key to a successful exit from the competition.
However, all three star players will definitely miss Manchester United’s FA Cup clash with Brighton this weekend. Interim coach Darren Fletcher will be in charge of his second game in the dugout after leading his team to a 2-2 draw with Burnley in midweek.
With key players such as Bruno Fernandes and Koby Mainu returning from injury, United will be disappointed not to have been able to pick up the three points with their performance at Turf Moor. A similar offensive performance should help them win Sunday when they host the Seagulls.
“This is an important competition and it’s important for Manchester United to win the trophy,” Fletcher told reporters before the match. “We have had good success in recent years, but a few years ago we won the championship but lost in the final.
“It’s a great competition, it’s the first trophy I won as a player, so it’s a special competition. It’s not in Europe, obviously there’s the Premier League outside of the League Cup, but the FA Cup is the trophy we have to compete for and we’re giving ourselves every opportunity to win.”
A win and safely progressing to the fourth round would be the ideal way for Fletcher to sign off on his role as interim manager and potentially take over whoever the interim manager is. The FA Cup is the last likely route to a silver medal this season and, despite its ups and downs, there is some hope for a successful season.
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