Craig Burley has questioned Manchester United’s decision to hand Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a new contract before the start of the new Premier League season.
The Red Devils confirmed earlier this month that they had extended the Norwegian manager’s deal to keep him at the club until the summer of 2024, with the option for a further year.
Solskjaer was initially brought in as a temporary replacement for Jose Mourinho in December 2018 at Old Trafford but he was swiftly rewarded for a strong start by being made permanent manager.
Manchester United have made steady progress under Solskjaer since then, but they are yet to win a major trophy under the Norwegian.
They finished in second place in the Premier League and without a trophy last season and lost in the Europa League final to Villarreal.
Burley has admitted his surprise at Manchester United’s decision to hand Solskjaer a new deal given that the Red Devils are yet to win a major trophy under his leadership.
Speaking to ESPN FC, Burley said: “I just don’t quite have my head around why the rush to give him a new contract.
“If you’re Manchester United, see how the season goes and you haven’t tied yourself down.
“If [Pep] Guardiola, [Jurgen] Klopp or [Thomas] Tuchel put themselves on the market, they’re getting snapped up by one of the elite clubs straightaway. They’d probably sack a manager to get one of those guys. Whose going to take Solskjaer?
“It’s not like Manchester United were going to lose him if they didn’t give him a contract. Juventus don’t want him, Real Madrid don’t want him, Bayern Munich don’t want him. The only people who want him is Manchester United.
“I don’t understand why they had to give him a three-year deal. They’re locked into that now. I don’t understand what the rush was. There are people out there better than Solskjaer, for example, Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City. There are others. I don’t know how readily available they are.
“What’s the rush? Six months into the season, they could have weighed up how it’s going and give him a new contract.
“He wasn’t going to walk out on Manchester United because he has nowhere to walk to!”
Manchester United on Tuesday night confirmed that they had agreed a deal with Real Madrid to sign defender Raphael Varane, who will become the club’s second major signing of the summer behind Jadon Sancho.
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