‘It’s not a disaster’: Phil Neville DEFENDS Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and says there is a ‘total witch-hunt’ to get him the sack at Manchester United – even after their embarrassing Champions League exit
Phil Neville has given his backing to Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after the club crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage.
The Red Devils suffered a 3-2 defeat away at RB Leipzig on Wednesday night when they needed just a point to reach the knockout stages of the elite European competition.
United have struggled for consistency this season – they lost to Istanbul Basaksehir after beating both RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain in their opening games in Group H – and Solskjaer is coming under increasing scrutiny.
Phil Neville has given his backing to Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Solskjaer’s side crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage on Wednesday night
RB Leipzig players celebrate after sealing a 3-2 win over United to progress to knockout stages
Wednesday’s defeat saw them exit the Champions League and enter the Europa League instead and Neville, who played with Solskjaer for nine years at Old Trafford, defended his former team-mate saying there is a ‘total witch-hunt’ to get him the sack at United.
‘If United win on Saturday [against Manchester City] – and Ole’s teams tend to do well in big moments, I think Saturday is a big moment for the manager and for the players,’ he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
‘They played poorly in the first 30 minutes, they got punished in a group which was really really difficult and they’re out of the competition. They’re now in the Europa League, they’ve got to go out and win that.
‘The narrative from inside the club is far, far different to that outside the club, where it seems there’s a total witch-hunt to get this boy out of the job.’
United face rivals Manchester City on Saturday evening with the club in need of a positive result. The Red Devils are one point ahead of Pep Guardiola’s side aheadof the mouth-watering clash.
Despite falling short of expectations, Neville has insisted that United’s Champions League exit ‘is not a disaster’ and that Solskjaer receives unfair criticism.
Neville defended his former team-mate saying there is a ‘total witch-hunt’ to get him the sack
United stars look dejected as they suffered a disappointing loss and exited Champions League
‘There’s an awful narrative where the minute United lose a game it seems like a disaster.
‘It’s not a disaster tonight, but it’s disappointing. United wanted to be in the last 16.
‘There are Manchester United teams in the past with better managers than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – like Sir Alex Ferguson – which have gone out at this stage. It does happen, it has happened.
Lionesses boss Neville has insisted that United’s Champions League exit ‘is not a disaster’
‘It’s quite a freakish time at the moment. There are managers in the Premier League who are below United in the league but have great reputations and don’t get the stick Solskjaer gets.’
Former United defender Rio Ferdinand urged his old club to think up ‘a strategy of playing consistently’ following Wednesday’s disappointing outcome.
Solskjaer’s side found themselves 2-0 down inside 13 minutes with Leipzig extending their lead in the second half. A penalty from Bruno Fernandes and header from Paul Pogba in the final 10 minutes set up an exciting finale but United ultimately left themselves with too much to do.
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