Ole’s Man Utd are pound for pound the WORST in recent history

Robin Bairner
Robin Bairner
  • 21 Nov 2021 08:57 GMT
  • 4 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo in Man Utd's shock Premier League loss to Watford
© ProShots

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has constructed the worst Manchester United team, pound for pound, in recent memory.

Since taking the wheel of the club on a permanent basis in 2019, he had spent an estimated £285 million before this season and won precisely nothing. He was furnished with an additional £126m of talent last summer in a bid to elevate the club into title contenders.

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But rather than challenging Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, Solskjaer’s Man Utd are not even in position to claim a European spot next season, having lost as many games as they have won and brandishing a negative goal difference.

With a spend of over £410m, Man Utd are a team that would struggle to win the UEFA Conference League, let along the Premier League.

Indeed, the more is invested in the squad, the worse it appears to get. Saturday’s 4-1 humiliation against relegation-threatened Watford was the fifth loss Man Utd have suffered in their last seven Premier League matches.

The 5-0 home pounding against Liverpool was the most spectacular of these defeats, though the 2-0 Old Trafford reverse against Manchester City was equally embarrassing given the way their neighbours toyed with them throughout, barely breaking into a sweat.

And this is despite Solskjaer boasting an arsenal of players the envy of most Premier League sides.

At his disposal, he has both the most expensive centre-back and central midfielder in the history of the game in the form of Harry Maguire and Paul Pogba, a multiple Champions League-winning defender by way of Raphael Varane, a collection of young players styled to be among the best in the world and, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner held up by many as the greatest ever.

But over the course of the last six games, only Newcastle and Aston Villa have picked up fewer than Man Utd’s six points. Both of these sides have parted with their managers.

Only Norwich and Newcastle have conceded more Premier League goals than Man Utd over the season as a whole.

Tottenham, a team considered to have endured a nightmare season, will overtake the Red Devils if they overcome Leeds on Sunday.

Forget David Moyes, who was denied the investment, confidence and time required to rebuild the Man Utd squad following the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson. Forget Louis van Gaal, who was still picking up the pieces following the departure of Fergie.

And forget Jose Mourinho’s divisive reign - at least he brought a Europa League and a League Cup to Old Trafford – Ole has brought the club to a new low given the resources that have been granted to him over a prolonged period.

It's been very bad for a long time
- David de Gea

"It's been very bad for a long time," David de Gea admitted when speaking to BBC Sport.

"A club like Man United, we have to be fighting for trophies and fighting for big things and to be honest we are far from that."

Even his own players can see how shambolic Ole's job has been.

Solskjaer is running out of places to hide and the Man Utd board are running out of reasons not to sack him. After all, has anyone ever constructed so little out of so much on a football field?

Read more about: Premier League, Man Utd

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