Woodward's commercial expertise - keeping sponsorship money rolling in despite dwindling results on the pitch - has maintained his status as a confidant of the Glazers, their man on the ground in England. Woodward has been a consistent focus of criticism for the club's fans since 2013, when he stepped into the shoes of former CEO David Gill, who achieved so much working in tandem with Ferguson.įollowing the failed European Super League (ESL) project in April, Woodward announced his intention to step down at the end of the year.īut Sky Sports reported on Monday that he could delay his departure to play a role in the appointment of the new manager. Victory against Villarreal in caretaker boss Michael Carrick's first game in charge on Tuesday would secure a place in the Champions League last 16.Ī spot in the Premier League top four is also attainable and the FA Cup offers the chance to end a barren run stretching back to 2017 without a trophy.Ĭomparisons have been made to Chelsea's swift response to a similar slide under a former club legend in January.Ī day after Frank Lampard was sacked, Thomas Tuchel was installed as the Blues' new boss and went on to win the Champions League four months later. That has led to more criticism of the club's owners, the Glazer family, and outgoing executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward for seemingly giving up on a season that still has six months left to run.Īlthough realistically out of the Premier League title race, 12 points behind leaders Chelsea, who United face on Sunday, there remains plenty to play for. In confirming Solskjaer's sacking, United also stated their intention to appoint an interim manager until the end of the season rather than seeking a permanent appointment straight away. "I don't want to stick the knife in today to the club, the club's owners, the club's hierarchy but you have to ask serious questions. "This is the third time in the last eight years that a manager has been given a long-term contract or an extension and lost their job within a few months," said former United captain Gary Neville.
Van Gaal and Mourinho were proven winners, Moyes was handpicked by Ferguson as a worthy successor and Solskjaer was cherished as a club icon who scored the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final.īut what they have all had in common is an inability to turn United's dysfunctional off-field structure into sustained success. David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Solskjaer brought vastly different attributes and levels of experience to the job. Since Alex Ferguson ended his 26-year reign at Old Trafford with a 13th Premier League title in 2013, four coaches have come and gone without a serious title challenge between them. Manchester United have finally bitten the bullet and sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but the move appears unlikely to address the deeper eight-year malaise at the club that dominated English football for two decades.