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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Stephen Killen

Ji-sung Park delivers Ole Gunnar Solskjaer verdict after past Manchester United mistakes

Ji-sung Park has called on Manchester United to keep their faith in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer until the end of the season despite mounting pressure surrounding the manager.

United's torrid run was made worse as their rivals, Manchester City, ran out comfortable winners prior to the international break leaving the dismal derby defeat to fester amongst the fans.

Antonio Conte was heavily linked with his position after the 5-0 defeat to Liverpool, but has since taken over at Tottenham, though Brendan Rodgers is considered the frontrunner should Solskjaer be sacked.

Jose Mourinho's dismissal in 2018 paved the way for the 1999 Champions League final hero to first take over as caretaker before being handed the reins on a permanent basis after a bright start.

Silverware has evaded Solskjaer, with the penalty shootout defeat to Villarreal in last season's Europa League final the closest the squad have come to a trophy, though a contract extension followed soon after.

The summer saw reinforcements, though injury to Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho 's form has left Cristiano Ronaldo to drag the side forward.

"It’s been three years for Solskjaer as a manager and I believe that this will be the defining season for him, in terms of whether he continues at the club," Park told Goal.

"I think that he deserves credit for what he's done at United, and deserves to fight [for his job] until the end of the season, but he needs to show he can continue after that.

"He did well to bring the old United spirit and culture back to us."

Despite calls for the Norwegian manager to be axed after Jurgen Klopp's side inflicted one of their heaviest home defeats in October, the former Manchester United midfielder believes they've learned from their previous mistakes with Mourinho and Louis van Gaal.

He added: "Before him, we had Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, who had reputations as world-class coaches, but it didn’t work out, so I think that United learned from those experiences and that they were key in the decision to stick with Solskjaer (after the Liverpool and City defeats).

"But the most important point is whether he can compete with Pep (Guardiola), (Jurgen) Klopp, (Thomas) Tuchel, the best coaches in the world.

“Therefore, I believe we should wait until the end of this season and then see. But if he can’t show (he's good enough), it will be difficult for him to continue."

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