Ferdinand gives his honest opinion about Solskjaer’s future at Man United

After some humbling home defeats and a woeful start to the season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future as Red Devils manager hangs in the balance.

Rio Ferdinand has hinted it could be the right time for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to ‘hand over the baton’ at Manchester United.

Despite new summer arrivals worth around €140 million, United have gone backward. From a second-place finish last season, they currently sit down in sixth place in the Premier League table this term. The Red Devils are already nine points behind leaders Chelsea after 11 matches.

Add their woeful home form to the mix, which includes humbling defeats to bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester City, the pressure has ramped up on Solskjaer.

Now Ferdinand, who has supported his former teammate since he replaced Jose Mourinho in December 2018, has offered his verdict on the Norwegian’s future at Old Trafford.

What did Rio say?

“I look at our team every week and wonder what we are going to do,” he said on his YouTube channel. “I don’t see any philosophy or an identity in the United way of playing, whatever that should be from the management. I sit here confused looking at the team.

“When you look at it like that with the transfer window we had, we were all sitting here excited.

“I go back to my point. Ole was brought in, I think, with a remit to get us back to a point, a moment where you do think he’s brought some foundation back. At the beginning of this season, we were sat there saying; ‘Yes, that’s it’.

“Deep down, I was always a bit skeptical he could take us on and be champions. I wasn’t sure or wasn’t convinced, but I hoped that he would be able to do it.

“But the showing I’ve seen this season, I just feel that, maybe, now might be the time for that baton to be handed over to somebody else who can take us on.”

Former Red Devils defender Ferdinand added: “I think Ole would leave now with his head held high. From when he came into where he got us, at the beginning of this season, has been positive.

“I’ve always said the trajectory has been like this [upwards]. Slow, not a big spike like [Thomas] Tuchel has done for Chelsea, but over his tenure there has been a gradual increase.

“Under previous management eras that we had, he was brought in to fix that and bring us to a place where you get the squad intact, you get the players in to put us at a point where we can challenge for the league.”