Patience Is Already Wearing Thin With A United Project Which Looks Poorly Thought Through

Patience Is Already Wearing Thin With A United Project Which Looks Poorly Thought Through

Patience is a rare characteristic among football fans these days, and Manchester United are certainly testing their supporters with their two recent outings.

The West Ham loss was completely devoid of quality, and while the shootout win over Rochdale yesterday can be dismissed somewhat by the inclusion of a number of young players, it is still concerning nonetheless.

You only have to look at another result last night to see that youth is not necessarily a barrier to results. Chelsea hammered Grimsby 7-1 with a young side, while the night before, Arsenal hit five past Championship side Nottingham Forest.


The ‘project’ that Solskjaer has tasked himself with is bringing through a group of young players capable of performing at the highest level. It calls for patience in the meantime with United needing to go through a difficult period so youth development can bear fruit.

However, that makes two huge assumptions:

  1. That this crop of youngsters are ready to flourish at the highest level
  2. There is a structure in place for the coaching staff to make it happen

On the first point, it’s probably too early to say. The win against PSG in the Champions League last season shows there is huge potential, but equally, there have been matches where players have flattered to deceive. Inconsistency is common among young players so it’s not wise to make sweeping judgements on individuals.

The second point is more pertinent. Solskjaer has now not won a game away from home since that win in the Parc des Princes. They have scored just 10 goals in eight games this campaign, with four of those coming against Chelsea.

The Daily Mail have reported this week that some players have been questioning the competency of one of the United manager’s assistants, Kieran McKenna, whose training methods they believe are more suited to the academy.

On top of that, you have an injury list which has reportedly shocked United’s sports science department because of the number of soft tissue issues. There is a question mark over competence in all areas about whether the staff can pull off this youth revolution.

With all that being said, would putting another man in Solskjaer’s place really have any effect? Ripping up and starting again has been a trademark of United since Sir Alex Ferguson left his job. It could be argued that the root cause of the issue is further up the chain.

In his conference call to shareholders this week, Ed Woodward said there are currently no plans to put a Head of Football in place because they are happy with the summer’s recruitment.

It was a surprising remark, and a concerning one at that. For a long-term project to succeed, you need someone who can continue the work, even if a manager is sacked for poor results on the pitch. The point being, the overarching strategy is still being adhered to while the tactics of different head coaches are employed.

With no structure in place, you are expecting a lot from Solskjaer and his staff to turn things around. You are also expecting a lot from fans to be patient with such a slapdash approach to building a successful team.

David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.