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Reuters
Reuters
Sport

Clubs must think long-term, says Man Utd's Solskjaer after Bilic sacking

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Manchester United v West Bromwich Albion - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - November 21, 2020 Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates whilst West Bromwich Albion manager Slaven Bilic looks dejected at the end of the match Pool via REUTERS/Catherine Ivill

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he sympathised with Slaven Bilic after the Croatian was sacked by West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday and stressed on the need for clubs to think about long-term continuity rather than instant results.

Bilic helped West Brom gain promotion to the Premier League but was sacked after a dismal start to the season left them second-bottom with one win in 13 games.

Solskjaer is also under scrutiny after his side were knocked out in the Champions League group stages last week.

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Champions League - Group H - Istanbul Basaksehir F.K. v Manchester United - Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey - November 4, 2020 Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks dejected after the match REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

"I think these times in a pandemic and what's happened has made everyone sit back and think... I'm very sad to hear Slaven has lost his job. He did a great job getting them promotion," Solskjaer told reporters.

"I've known him for years and I'm sure he'll get a job again.

"Hopefully more and more clubs will think long term. It's a short term business and you need short term results, but everyone knows that continuity is the key to success and sometimes they don't have the patience for it."

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Championship - West Bromwich Albion v Barnsley - The Hawthorns, West Bromwich, Britain - October 22, 2019 West Bromwich Albion manager Slaven Bilic Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes

The spotlight is also firmly on Sheffield United's Chris Wilder, with the Blades bottom of the league on one point from 12 games ahead of Manchester United's visit on Thursday.

"It's not a nice position to be in as a manager, you want your players to be playing with confidence, thinking and believing they can win the game," Solskjaer added.

"At Cardiff (City), it was a new experience, a learning experience and a valuable one. I didn't enjoy it, with the results and relegation we got, but as a manager you're one of very few if you're not going to feel the pressure at one point.

"I felt it and Chris, Slaven whoever feels that pressure are mentally strong enough, because you have to be."

Solskjaer said striker Edinson Cavani was a doubt for the trip while injured fringe players Phil Jones (knee) and Marcos Rojo (calf) should be ready next month.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

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