Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may find it tough to get two of Manchester United's most expensive signings into his side if he returns to Old Trafford
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have plenty to sort out if he returns to Manchester United(Image: Getty Images)
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Incorporating £128million worth of talent into the team could be one of the first challenges for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer if he is reinstated as Manchester United boss. The Norwegian icon is discussing his potential return with the club this weekend, with a view to taking the reins for the remainder of the season.
Michael Carrick is also being considered for the interim role before United appoint a permanent successor to the recently dismissed Ruben Amorim in the summer. Amorim's downfall was partly due to his tactical inflexibility, persisting with a 3-4-3 formation featuring two No. 10s.
Bryan Mbeumo (£65m) and Matheus Cunha (£63m) were brought in for substantial fees in the summer to fill those positions. Under Solskjaer, United are likely to adopt a different approach, creating a scenario Ineos hadn't anticipated when they approved the pair's arrival.
During his first stint manager after succeeding Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer favoured width, utilising both full-backs in a flat back four and wingers on either side of a central striker and number 10.
This preference for wingers continued during his mixed eight-month stint at Besiktas. Solskjaer didn't get the players he needed in Turkey, which arguably contributed to his dismissal in August after the Istanbul giants were knocked out in the play-off rounds of both the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Turkish football expert and Besiktas podcaster Kaan Bayazit believes Solskjaer was hindered by a shortage of quality wide players. He said: "It (the style of play) wasn't great. That was largely due to the limitations of the squad. The football was, at times, decent but never scintillating to watch.
"They only had one true winger. Right after Ole got sacked, they did bring in wingers but he never got to work with those players and I think that's the main reason for the team not being fluid under him.
Bryan Mbeumo looks on
Bryan Mbeumo insists he is happy to play anywhere(Image: SmartFrame/SportImage)
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"He was adamant about the fact that he needed wingers but never got the chance. I think he got the most out of the players for the most part, especially in the big games."
There's no reason why Mbeumo and Cunha couldn't feature together under Solskjaer, though it's unlikely to be as part of a dual number 10 system. Mbeumo spent the majority of his time at Brentford thriving as a right winger and is prepared to adapt to different roles when needed.
Following his move to Old Trafford, he said: "It's up to the manager to decide. It's important to be able to play in different positions, so I will play wherever I'm asked to play."
Matheus Cunha celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Bournemouth.
Matheus Cunha was brought in primarily to play as a number 10(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
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Mbeumo will return to England shortly after Cameroon suffered a 2-0 defeat to Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations. However, current interim boss Darren Fletcher has confirmed he won't be available for Sunday's FA Cup clash against Brighton.
Fletcher said: "I don't think so. I think it's too close a turnaround, so we'll have the same players available for the game as we had against Burnley."
Meanwhile, Cunha poses potentially a larger problem. With Bruno Fernandes anticipated to occupy the lone No. 10 position in a 4-2-3-1 formation, it's unclear where exactly the Brazilian would fit in.
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