Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a problem to solve on his hands as much as fans were happy to see the win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The legendary Norwegian oversaw a crucial 3-0 victory that has essentially kept him in the job but there didn’t seem to be any plans for the future.
Ronaldo and Bruno are primary options and both of them tend to start the vast majority of games. Ronaldo, though, will inevitably get rest. Cavani and Rashford will get game time but there's not much for Martial, Greenwood, Sancho, Lingard and VDB. Having Sancho in there is mad.
— UtdArena (@utdarena) October 31, 2021
Along with the eagle-eyed fan above, The Independent also wrote a piece saying: “Does this work, then? Is this formation the device with which Solskjaer salvages his United career? While it earned United a much-needed result, it does not feel particularly suited to the squad.
“Rashford scored the third but only after being introduced as a late substitute. Mason Greenwood went unused. The baffling lack of any plan for Jadon Sancho persists. These are United’s three best young attacking talents. This system does not have a natural role for them.”
The win saved Solskjaer’s job for the time being but it didn’t actually resolve some of the core issues or even the main concerns fans had with him.
Competition for places is natural and expected at United but not if it excludes some of the team’s best talents, some of whom the legendary Norwegian brought in himself.
Along with the Tweet above, Paul Pogba could be added as a number 10 which would only further prove the problem.
Solskjaer naturally opted for a defensive team and a defensive formation vs Tottenham Hotspur and was rewarded with a clean-sheet.
The home team aren’t exactly awe-inspiring themselves but the most important thing was to get the win.
However, United’s abundance of attacking options means there’s no way Solskjaer survives in the long-term if he continues with such a formation or such a team.
Sancho alone is a dilemma to resolve as no manager should spend over £70m on a player only to not even have a plan for him, let alone build around one of the most exciting prospects in Europe.