Former Crystal Palace Owner Asks Man Utd To Sack 'Mediocre' Solskjaer, Suggests Replacements

Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan has asked Manchester United to sack boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who, according to the former, represents "mediocrity". Jordan has suggested the club to appoint either Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, or Diego Simeone as their next manager.

After Solskjaer chose not to substitute midfielder Fred, who had escaped a red card for headbutting a PSG player during the Red Devils’ latest Champions League game, several questions have been raised about the Norwegian’s leadership at the club.

The 27-year-old Brazilian was on a yellow card for the majority of the match but remained on the pitch until the 70th minute when he was eventually sent off after being booked for the second time in the game. In addition to that, Marcus Rashford suffered a shoulder injury before Manchester United lost the game 1-3 and continued their nightmare run at home this season.

Solskajer’s side has been great away from home, having won a club record of eight straight away wins in the Premier League, but the Old Trafford side has claimed victories in only three out of their eight matches across all competitions in 2020-21.

“I don’t think he should be doing anything besides getting his coat. The thing with me and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is that I don’t like the fact that mediocrity gets rewarded. This is the biggest job in world football, in my view. I know the Real Madrids, Barcelonas, and Bayern Munichs would all contest that, but in my mind, the poster boy of the biggest league in the world, the Premier League, is Manchester United. And if you go to mediocrity, you’re going to get mediocrity in return. That’s my bugbear with Solskjaer. A team reflects its leadership,” Jordan told talkSport in an interview.

The former chairman of Crystal Palace, Jordan, went on to say that if Solskjaer remained in charge of Manchester United for a long-term project, the club would end up writing a doomsday book before the manager won anything of merit with the Red Devils.

“I wouldn’t have appointed him in the first place because I think he represents mediocrity. I think he’s a thoroughly decent football person but Manchester United don’t need a decent football person, they need an excellent football person who is capable of taking them to the next level. I would look at three names, if I want swashbuckling, brave front-foot football, but that hasn’t won anything yet, I’d probably give Mauricio Pochettino a very significant look,” added Jordan.

Jordan also insisted since Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world and they can appoint anyone they wanted if they were prepared to free up their finances.

"If I want someone who is capable of winning something but is very difficult to manage, I’d look at Antonio Conte. If I want somebody who is going to change the DNA, change the culture of the club, and change the fiber of the characters inside the club, I might look at Diego Simeone. You’re the biggest club in the world, and you can get anything you want if you’re prepared to pay for it," said Jordan in the same interview.