Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has admitted that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's time at the club could be cut short if the Norwegian is unable to deliver consistent results.
The Red Devils made a disappointing start to the 2020-21 Premier League season, losing 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace, but they recorded a 3-2 victory at Brighton & Hove Albion last time out.
United will host Tottenham Hotspur this weekend off the back of booking their spot in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, and there will be pressure on the 20-time English champions to pick up a positive result.
Speaking to Sports Mole on Thursday morning, Chadwick said that he is hopeful that his former teammate will be given the time to make his mark at Old Trafford on a long-term basis, but the 39-year-old conceded that much will depend on the Norwegian's results at the helm.
"It all depends on results. I think Manchester United is different to other football clubs in terms of the history of the club, the managers they've had and the longevity they've had at the football club - obviously Sir Alex Ferguson, Matt Busby etc. I think David Moyes came in and it was almost an impossible job and they saw him as someone who could stay at the club long term, in a similar ilk to Sir Alex Ferguson," he said.
"That didn't work out, and then [Louis] van Gaal and Jose Mourinho - obviously two incredible managers - but it never really sat right with the way Manchester United do things. They are brought in, not as a quick fix but they were never going to stay at the club for 10, 15 years. I think the way that they've gone with Ole is someone that would want to do that and someone who has been brought up in the history of the football club.
"He's obviously learned huge lessons from Sir Alex Ferguson about the environment and the culture of the club and building for the future. It's a results-driven industry. I'd like to see him given time because I think that's what it's going to take. If Ole goes, someone else will come in and what difference does it make? Immediately if someone comes in - there is a lot of talk about [Mauricio] Pochettino, and when Ole came in on a caretaker basis I assumed that was because the deal was done with Pochettino and he was coming in the summer, but obviously Ole did incredibly well.
"He needs to be given time, but the nature of the beast is that if he doesn't get results then he won't and then we're back to square one and someone else comes in and the club try and go in a different direction."
Solskjaer has won 52, drawn 20 and lost 22 of his 94 games in charge of United, giving him a win percentage of just over 55% since replacing Mourinho in December 2018.
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Matt Law
