One Manchester United player has reportedly questioned Harry Maguire’s role as captain during clear-the-air talks at Old Trafford following the club’s embarrassing 5-0 home defeat against rivals Liverpool.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under constant pressure to prove he is the right man to lead the club forward, but the United boss has faced further scrutiny after the Red Devils latest defeat on Sunday.
After a meeting between the club’s owners this week, United have opted in favour of continuing with Solskjaer for their upcoming Premier League contest against Tottenham on Saturday.
According to The Times, United’s players were invited to share their opinion by Solskjaer after their 4-2 defeat away at Leicester earlier this month.
And one member of the squad went as far as to question whether Solskjaer’s decision to appoint Maguire as captain in early 2020 was the correct call.
Another reportedly accused team-mates of lacking motivation during training, while a further player asked Solskjaer why he hadn’t dropped certain players who have not been in form this season.
Although it is not yet clear whether Solskjaer will be at the helm beyond this weekend’s fixture, a negative result against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side would go a long way to deciding the long-term future of the Norwegian boss.
Speaking after the 5-0 defeat on Sunday, Solskjaer referred to it as his ‘darkest day’ as United boss.
"It is not easy to say something apart from it is the darkest day I have had leading these players," Solskjaer told Sky Sports.
"The whole performance was not good enough. We created openings, they had chances and they have been clinical. The third goal decided the game. It is mine [responsibility], that is it. The coaching staff are very, very good, brilliant.
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"I choose the way we approach the game, we were not clinical enough and gave too much spaces and when you give good players space they score. I have come too far, we have come too far as a group. We are too close to give up now.
"It is going to be a difficult one. The players will be low but there's loads of characters there.
"We know we are rock bottom, we can't feel any worse than this. Let's see where we take it."
Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is among those said to be in line to replace Solskjaer, should the United hierarchy call time on his tenure.
Conte left Inter last summer after two seasons with the club, which culminated in the Italian giants winning the Serie A title for the first time in 11 years.
The 52-year-old is said to be willing to take over at United should he be presented with the opportunity, even though he has a preference for joining clubs at the start of a campaign.
During his two seasons in charge at Chelsea, Conte guided the Blues to Premier League success in 2017, as well as the FA Cup a year later.
