The decision to fire the Portuguese boss will not have come as a surprise to many, as the team have been in poor form in recent weeks.
Mourinho’s temporary replacement is former United hero Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who has the job until the end of the season.
United enduring a mediocre season
Manchester United have endured a mediocre Premier League campaign so far this season. The results and the style of play have not been in keeping with the clubs traditions.
United have played the sort of football this season that would help an insomniac to sleep. Mourinho is famous for his pragmatic football, but this was pragmatic football without a positive result.
In the past, Mourinho has guided teams to success with the style of play. His trophy collection proves that his style works and that he is a great boss. However, the style of play we have witnessed this season must even have bored the Portuguese boss.
Solskjaer brought in to play attacking football
The Manchester United team that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played in was famous for their attacking play under Sir Alex Ferguson. They did at times have a more pragmatic approach, but for the most part, they played the game to attack.
Solskjaer has not necessarily been bought in for his managerial ability, as his record is patchy. The less said about his stint at Cardiff the better. Solskjaer’s link to those great United teams cannot be underestimated, though.
The United hierarchy has appointed him in the hope that he can lift the current gloom at Old Trafford by playing attacking football, something that the likes of Louis van Gaal and David Moyes failed to really do prior to Mourinho’s arrival.
Solskjaer may seem a strange appointment. However, with United struggling in the league anyway, maybe those at the top of the club believed they did not have much to lose by giving the Molde boss a chance to prove himself.
Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bring attacking football back to Manchester United?
