Zinedine Zidane would be better suited to the Manchester United job than Mauricio Pochettino if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were to be sacked, according to Gary Neville.
Solskjaer is under pressure at United following a run of disappointing results which includes Saturday’s 4-2 defeat by Leicester City.
United have kept just one clean sheet in their last 19 games in all competitions and have won just two of the past seven matches.
Solskjaer’s job is understood to be safe for the time being, but that situation could change, with United facing a daunting run of fixtures.
United play Atalanta in the Champions League on Wednesday before Premier League matches against Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City.
Former United defender Neville gave his assessment of United on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football and suggested the squad dynamic is Solskjaer’s biggest problem.
“I thought that last season there was something building. I think if you asked him (Solskjaer) privately ‘would you like last season’s squad back?’ I think he probably would go back,” Neville said.
“They have got six grenades where the pins have been pulled out in the dressing room.
“It can work, I’ve seen [Vicente] Del Bosque manage a Real Madrid team to the Champions League.
“Zidane has done it with great players. I think PSG are like that at the moment. You see Pochettino there and you think it’s not really a Pochettino team.
“Ole’s got a bit of that now. He has Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani, Paul Pogba and Harry Maguire.”
Who should Manchester United hire if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is sacked? Have your say in the comments section below.
United’s squad is packed full of stars, but Neville believes that could actually work against Solskjaer this season, causing friction in the dressing room.
He added: “Massive characters in the dressing room. Maguire will look at [Raphael] Varane in the dressing room and think am I the top dog anymore?
“You have the dynamic of Cavani sat on the bench who was begged to stay but now has Ronaldo, [Marcus] Rashford and [Mason] Greenwood in front of him.
“[Jadon] Sancho has come in for £75m and now he is looking like he is in and out. All these issues are developing, Solskjaer has to somehow bring that group together.
“He’s got to find a basic defensive shape that the players buy into and allow the others to go win the games for him. It’s the only way for him to get the season back on track.
“The aura of Ronaldo, Fernandes is walking around with his arms out all the time, Pogba doesn’t know if he is staying or leaving, the emerging captain Maguire thinking how he controls this lot.
“Ole has to solve it this week. On Sunday, this lot are an odd bunch, they could out and do Liverpool. They have to get that spirit and dynamic right.”