Manchester United are set for another round of talks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over the possibility of him taking over as caretaker manager, and he has been given a boost before he's even stepped through the door.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Manager of Manchester United celebrates at full-time after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set for further talks with Manchester United on Saturday(Image: (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images))
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Manchester United are set for another round of talks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over the caretaker manager role, with CEO Omar Berrada and Director of Football Jason Wilcox set for face-to-face discussions with the former player and manager. The club are looking at the possibility of bringing the Norwegian coach back to Old Trafford until the end of the season, following the sacking of Ruben Amorim, as the hierarchy looks to buy itself some more time to make the right permanent hire in the summer.
Whilst Solskjaer would bring plenty of experience and know-how to the role, he isn't the only candidate Man United are in talks with. Michael Carrick, who was an assistant under the 52-year-old during his previous interim and permanent stint, is also an option on the table.
Regardless of who is chosen by the Man United chiefs, one thing is for sure: whoever walks into the dugout at Old Trafford is in line for an immediate boost. That's because they are set to be handed a return for Bryan Mbeumo in the coming week or so.
The forward, who was signed from Brentford in the summer for a fee worth up to £71m, has impressed in the first half of the campaign, proving why so much money was splashed out to land him. There was some concern for the club when the 26-year-old was one of three key players to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations, however, given his performances.
Mbeumo joined up with the Cameroon national team for the competition, one that was wrapped up in controversy as doubts circled over who was actually in charge and which squad list would be submitted. His side put those concerns aside and mounted a run to the quarter-finals, only to fall at the hands of the hosts, Morocco.
He is now set to fly back to Man United, where he could make a timely return for the club in the Manchester derby. United play host to City on Saturday, January 17, in what could be the first game for the next caretaker coach, if they are appointed in time for such a big match.
Bryan Mbeumo of Cameroon during the Africa Cup Of Nations Round Of 16 match between South Africa and Cameroon
Bryan Mbeumo is set to return to Manchester United soon, after Cameroon were knocked out of AFCON(Image: (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images))
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While Mbeumo's return is a boost for the club, it remains to be seen if any other key stars will be available in the squad for the clash. Morocco's victory means Noussair Mazraoui is set for at least one more match in the competition, putting doubts over his availability.
Amad and the Ivory Coast are in action on Saturday night, taking on Egypt in a mouth-watering tie in the quarter-finals of AFCON. The 23-year-old has three goals and one assist so far for his nation in the tournament, after just four appearances, and he could be the key to them having a successful end to it.
All three stars will definitely miss out on Man United's FA Cup tie with Brighton over this current weekend, however. Interim coach Darren Fletcher will be taking charge of his second game in the dugout, having guided the team to a 2-2 draw with Burnley in midweek.
With the return of some key players from injury, such as Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo, United will have felt aggrieved not to have taken all three points with their display at Turf Moor. A similar attacking performance would likely help them pick up a win on Sunday, when they host the Seagulls.
"It’s an important competition and Manchester United are about winning trophies," Fletcher told the press ahead of the match. "We’ve had good success in recent years, we won it a couple of years ago and lost in the final.
"It’s an amazing competition, the first trophy I won as a player, it is a special tournament. Not in Europe, out of the League Cup, there is the Premier League obviously but the FA Cup, it’s a trophy we should be vying to win and be giving ourselves every opportunity to win."
A victory and safe passage into the fourth round would be an ideal way for Fletcher to potentially sign-off on his duties as interim, to usher in the caretaker manager, whoever that may be. The FA Cup remains the last likely route to silverware this season, offering some hope of a successful season, despite the ups and downs.
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