Former captain Gary Neville believes Manchester United will stand by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer until the end of the season.
The Norwegian, who watched his side fall to a fourth defeat in their last six Premier League matches on Saturday, going down 2-0 to cross-city rivals Manchester City, is under enormous pressure, both from the supporters and the United hierarchy.
Despite the pressure on Solskjaer from the United board increasing, the club is not poised to pull the trigger on the former striker just yet, with him almost certain to take charge of next Saturday's clash with Watford at Vicarage Road.
The trip to Watford marks the beginning of a hugely difficult week for United, with trips to Villarreal and Chelsea to come after their visit to Vicarage Road.
Despite their recent woes, Neville believes United will continue to stand by Solskjaer, pointing to their lack of a succession plan being in place.
"The club aren't going to do anything here," Neville told Sky Sports. "Getting Antonio Conte was never, ever going to happen. The hierarchy were never going to appoint him, as great a manager as he is.
"The plan all season has been to stick with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer until the end of the season, and that's where I'm at, even after Saturday. They've got Watford away, Villarreal away and then Chelsea away. That's a horrid, horrid week. This is not going to get any easier in the short term.
"Being that far behind the top with 11 games gone, that can't happen. He's progressed from sixth to third to second, and should have won the Europa League final against Villarreal."
The defeat to Villarreal in Gdansk back in May was a bitter pill for United to swallow. It was seen as a golden opportunity to win their first trophy of the Solskjaer era and sign off for the summer in style.
Instead, United lost the contest on penalties, with goalkeeper David de Gea missing the decisive spot-kick.
For Neville, the defeat to Villarreal, as well as losing any cup match, can have a "real impact on players."
"I hark back to that because when you lose finals, it has a real impact on players," continued the former United defender. "If you win it, the medal around your neck, you get used to winning.
"Going out of the Carabao Cup to West Ham - it's a big problem. That can't happen, it's a trophy you can win.
"The league has almost gone, the Champions League is a long shot because of the quality of teams. The FA Cup and Carabao Cup cannot be dismissed, and going out to West Ham was a really bad situation for the club to be in.
"I think the fans left this stadium on Saturday tired and drained from what they've seen. Thinking: 'Where are we on our journey as a club?'"
United's recent performances, barring the 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, have been more than questionable, especially the displays against both Liverpool and City.
Nevertheless, Neville believes the club had not prepared for questions over Solskjaer's position.
He added: "The club have not prepared for this, not prepared for a new manager, they didn't expect it, they thought everything was sort of plain sailing along.
"They've planned around a structure of way of working in the last two or three years that they're not going to veer away from, but in this moment in time they're going to have to put their helmets on if they're going to defend it."
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