Opposition View: Manchester United

What’s going on at Manchester United? England’s most successful ever club are enduring a terrible time of it and for the first time ever, Brighton will take on the Red Devils sitting above them in a league table.

Who’s fault is it? Do you blame Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, whose early promise as caretaker boss has long been forgotten since taking on the role permanently. Is it the Glazer Family, who only seem to care about the profit column on the balance sheet as opposed to what happens on the pitch?

Should Paul Pogba and co take the blame for downing tools under Jose Mourinho and playing like a bunch of individuals who are at Old Trafford simply for a pay cheque? Or is it Mourinho himself for leaving a club so bruised after the damaging end to his spell in charge?

Ahead of the Albion’s long trip north, we spoke to Jordan Street from United blog Old Trafford Faithful to find out – and more importantly, to ask whether this could be the day that Brighton get a first win at Old Trafford at the 12th attempt.

When we last spoke back in January, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had won his first five games as United boss and things were finally looking up at Old Trafford. What’s gone wrong since then?
Honestly, I’m not sure. It feels like the dressing room has – once again – let their heads drop. This is by far and away the most mentally-weak United squad I’ve ever known. When things are going well, they’re wonderful.

However, with their backs against the wall, these guys just wilt under the pressure and it’s disappointing to see because they’re a talented bunch.

Is Solksjaer still the right man to lead United? And if not, who do you get in to replace him?
I think so. United need to get away from sacking managers too quickly because it’s becoming a bad habit. Fortunately for Solskajer, his rapport with the fans and love for the club will buy him extra time. As will his excellent summer transfer business.

Given the start you’ve made to the campaign, what are United’s realistic expectations now for the rest of the season ahead?
I think we all anticipated a title challenge was beyond us, though we felt a top-four finish was realistic. That could still be possible, though ten points is a pretty big gap. The season is still young so with an up-turn in form it may still happen.

A good cup run is always nice, too. We’re in the Carabao Cup quarters and looking good to qualify from our Europa League group, so winning one of those would certainly ease the pain of our league struggles.

Who have been United’s best performers this season and who has disappointed you the most?
Scott McTominay has been absolutely sublime. I always thought he was destined to be nothing more than a squad player, but his midfield dominance has been sensational while he’s also adding goals to his game. Daniel James also feels like an absolute bargain at just £15m.

Victor Lindelof continues to struggle at centre-back. He’s just too nervous and that is rubbing off on the rest of the defence. Fred has been diabolical, too. Both are Jose Mourinho signings, which says an awful lot…

As an ex-Albion loan player, we take a bit of an interest in Jesse Lingard. What’s happened to him this season as he seems to have gone right off the boil?
I saw a stat the other day that Ben Foster has more shots on target than Jesse Lingard in the league this season. That pretty much sums him up. As a homegrown talent, you always want him to do well but he just looks lacking in confidence right now. It wasn’t that long ago when he was really finding his feet for club and country.

Injuries haven’t helped – he’s been in and out of the team too – but the fans are starting to turn on him which is never good. All he needs is a good run in the side and I think he’ll get back to that high level.

Brighton have never won at Old Trafford and there’s a fair bit of optimism given your troubles so far this season that we could write a little bit of history on Sunday. How would you rank the Albion’s chances?

It feels like United are breaking all kinds of records – for the wrong reasons – similar to this at the moment. Brighton have every chance at getting a positive result this weekend, make no mistake about it.

If you come here and defend well – with the likes of Lewis Dunk in the team, it’s possible – and remain compact, this United team will struggle to score and start to get frustrated. Who knows, I wouldn’t rule out a late Brighton winner from a set-piece or counter-attack.

If you had to give Graham Potter some advice for making it happen, what would tell him?
Play on the break and defend as a unit. United cannot create chances with eleven men behind the ball and it has been a major problem for us all season long.

Based on what you’ve seen so far this season, who will be lifting the title come May and who do you think is going down?
It pains me to say it, but Liverpool. Their game against Manchester City is huge. Win that and dare I say it’s already over?

Finally, your prediction for Sunday please?
I’ll go for a United 1-0 win. A bit of Marcus Rashford magic to win it, though I’m not confident!

Many thanks to Jordan for taking the time to talk to us. You can follow Old Trafford Faithful on Twitter to remind him of his 1-0 prediction should Graham Potter’s men make history on Sunday.