It's imperative for Manchester United to run a better campaign this season and club legend Roy Keane said Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's job is on the line. The minimum expectation for the Red Devils is to finish in the Top 4 and without a title to boot, it could be the end of the road for the Norwegian manager.
For Solskjaer, it is past the honeymoon period and the bar is higher, and that means United will need to exceed the performance seen in the last term. The club boss is now in his second year in charge of Old Trafford but the title drought continues. Keane said there will be consequences if the disappointments will not be replaced by trophy wins.
At the very least, United must challenge the perennial top performers in the Premier League. Keane is expecting that for the ongoing season, Solskjaer's side will give a good fight that will surprise the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.
"Ole will probably have to get his hands on a trophy. I think the honeymoon period is certainly over for Ole, and the pressure starts to mount now, particularly with the performances like that over the last week or so," Keane told Sky Sports.
The United hero, who won numerous titles wearing the Red Devils shirt, made the observation following the perceived dismal start of his former club. United suffered a home defeat in their first Premier League match against Crystal Palace and would have incurred the same fate when they faced Brighton next.
United won the game 3-2 on the account of the penalty kick cleared by Bruno Fernandes. Pundits viewed the win as a close call and Keane said what he saw was underwhelming, adding Solskjaer has to aim higher in this campaign.
United will need to replicate the impressive run seen with the team in the second half of the last season and secure a spot in the Top 4. Anything less would be disastrous and Keane is convinced Solskjaer will be shown the door on a sorry performance in the season.
The analyst said Solskjaer is set for sacking in the absence of immediate improvements. For starters, the squad must show an uptick in the consistency department.
The team impressed at the close of the campaign last season and it came as a surprise that the squad seemed to struggle in the first few games, which Keane said is not a good sign.
"You would expect them to do better against Palace and Brighton. As a whole, it's not been great," Metro reported the club legend as saying.
Keane said it worries him to see his former club not capitalizing on opportunities and conceding goals.
