As the weeks tick on and reality sets it, some nagging doubts have emerged amongst Manchester United fans as to whether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the man to lead the club long term. The honeymoon period is very much over, with reality setting in as to how big the job on his hands will be.
United are out of the Champions League having been thoroughly outclassed by Barcelona, while defeats to Wolves and Arsenal have not gone down well. While they are in a better position than when he took over, they have a major battle on their hands to make the top four.
Seeing what Mauricio Pochettino achieved the other night only raises further questions about the decision to give the Norwegian the job. Pochettino was believed to be the preferred choice of the board at United, but they were swayed by Solskjaer.
Speaking on BBC's Football Focus, Jermaine Jenas believes Manchester United were dictated by emotion, rather than logic, in appointing Solskjaer.
I all along thought they should go with Pochettino, and that they should have stuck with that position. But I was also clear in the face that if I was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and I went into Manchester United as a previous player and done that job, I would have expected to be given the job.
I would have expected them to see that and say that I deserve it now.
I just felt that the decision was based on emotion rather than actual logic. The emotional side of things, from Manchester United's point of view, is not how they should be running the football club.
Saying that, let's not get carried away. They were beaten by Barcelona twice, they've lost to PSG, got beat by Wolves twice and lost away to Arsenal. They're still good teams that they have lost to, and the run to get them back in contention was sensational.
This is a fair point. Ed Woodward, like the United fan base, may have gotten swept up in the early days of Solskjaer's reign. While appointing him may have looked lie a no-brainer at the time, there are some major question marks hanging over his head.
His style of play has come under criticism from certain quarters, while he has been out-coached by more experienced managers on a number of occasions in recent weeks. His lack of experience at this level has told.
We will not get a clear idea on the success of the appointment for another 12 months at least, but Mauricio Pochettino's shadow is likely to linger over Old Trafford for the foreseeable future.
