Can you pull any quotes to get us past the pay wall?
Here's the first half of it.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was clinging to his job on Monday night after Manchester United’s hierarchy held crisis talks over the manager’s future and the team’s collapse amid serious concerns about how their season is unravelling.
Solskjaer’s position is under intense scrutiny after Sunday’s 5-0 humiliation at home to Liverpool triggered an inquest at the top of the club and it is understood significant parts of the dressing room have lost faith in the manager’s ability to take the club forward.
Joel and Avram Glazer, United’s co-chairmen, held emergency talks with executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, and his expected successor, Richard Arnold, on Monday after a calamitous past few weeks that has sent their season into a tailspin.
Senior sources at Old Trafford claimed that there had been “no change” to Solskjaer’s position but accepted that there was “a lot to do to turn things around”.
One senior figure claimed the club had been “let off lightly” by Liverpool and that the scoreline could have been much worse after Paul Pogba was sent off with half an hour left and Jurgen Klopp’s side already leading 5-0.
In a damning indictment of United’s woeful form, Luke Shaw, the left back, admitted the Liverpool result had “been coming”.
Antonio Conte is understood to want the chance to succeed Solskjaer but the former Chelsea, Juventus and Inter Milan coach would seek full control and the Old Trafford hierarchy have previously held reservations about the demanding Italian, despite his outstanding coaching credentials and trophy haul.
Sources at Old Trafford distanced themselves from claims in Italy that there had been conversations with Conte’s representatives.
United were left scarred by Jose Mourinho’s tenure and any move for Conte may be considered to represent a departure from the club’s self proclaimed “cultural reboot”.
But United have been so wedded to Solskjaer, who signed a new three-year contract in the summer, that their sudden implosion has left the club’s decision-makers scrambling as they reflect on what has gone wrong and their options going forward.
