Ole Gunnar Solskjær expects to be in charge of Manchester United for the next match at Watford after the international break, with the club as of Sunday not changing its position despite the 2-0 loss to Manchester City.
The defeat at Old Trafford against the Premier League champions on Saturday followed the 5-0 rout by Liverpool in the previous home match. Yet the Guardian understands there was no indication from Joel Glazer, the co-chairman who runs the club, in the hours immediately after the match that the Norwegian would be removed.
After City’s win, Solskjær said United had to react like a “wounded animal” at Watford on 20 November. The 48-year-old is working on the basis that he will remain in his post to take the side to Vicarage Road but there is a sense that Glazer could yet decide to remove him in the coming days. The victory at Tottenham last Saturday-week was United’s sole Premier League win in five weeks and they are down in sixth place, nine points behind the leaders, Chelsea.
A measure of City’s superiority at United was underlined by Pep Guardiola, who believes it may have been his side’s most dominant display. “Maybe this was the game that we dominated for the most time,” the City manager said.
“Except for 10 minutes of the second half, the other 80 minutes were absolutely under control. There were other games – like the game when we could be champions at the Etihad [Stadium in 2018] when we were 2-0 up at half-time against United and after we lost 3-2. In the first half it could have been four or five but we lost 3-2. So, the second half we were not good.
“In some games we are good but not for as long as [on Saturday]. It is a game we controlled more. We know each other better [now], we know the opponent better.”
