Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly fearing his dismissal from the head coach role this month, should the Red Devils suffer a heavy defeat at the hands of Liverpool at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have experienced a dismal beginning to the league campaign and they find themselves just two points off the relegation zone after registering only two victories from eight matches.
As a result, there is undoubtedly immense pressure on Solskjaer and The Times reports that the Norwegian tactician could be axed from the helm, should United receive a hiding from Jurgen Klopp’s side.
United have generally turned up for the contest against their arch-rivals and they have managed five wins, four draws and just the solitary defeat in the past 10 meetings in the Premier League.
However, the forthcoming game could be one of the toughest yet, considering Solskjaer’s side have struggled to regularly find the net during the opening phase of the campaign.
Since the 4-0 drubbing of Chelsea in the season opener, United have netted just five goals from seven league matches and they surely need to find an improvement on this statistic to overcome the Reds challenge.
Injuries have certainly hampered the attacking displays with Anthony Martial spending more than a month on the sidelines with a hamstring problem but the Frenchman could make a timely comeback for the game.
In the absence of Martial, Marcus Rashford has been Solskjaer’s undisputed choice to lead the line but the move has not proved worthwhile with the 21-year-old tending to remain static with his positioning in the box.
Should Martial be deemed fit, he will surely start upfront against the Reds and that may provide a different threat, given the frequency with which he makes runs behind the defence in the anticipation of the ball.
Elsewhere, Paul Pogba, Victor Lindelof, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw are the other high-profile players, who could likewise return to first-team action after the international break, and Solskjaer will be hoping for a strong response on the back of a three-match winless league run.
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