Members of Manchester United’s squad are concerned that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be unable to sign his top transfer targets if they fail to qualify for the Champions League next season.
The Red Devils’ top-four hopes took another huge blow after losing at home to rivals Manchester City on Wednesday night, having been embarrassed 4-0 at Goodison Park a few days earlier.
After crashing out of the Champions League at the hands of Barcelona, Solskjaer spoke of the need to ‘rebuild’ and he is expected to make sweeping changes to the squad this summer.
There have been reports of a £100m pursuit of Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and a British record deal for Borussia Dortmund sensation Jadon Sancho.
However, the Evening Standard report that United’s current squad are worried that Solskjaer’s targets may be a little too ambitious – especially if they miss out on a place in next season’s Champions League.
Speaking prior to the defeat against City, Solskjaer said he intends to return United ‘to the top of the tree’, though many of his existing squad are questioning who exactly these players are that he thinks can deliver on that promise.
There is a concern within the dressing room that United are not quite the pull they used to be, while the scale of the manager’s planned overhaul has others fearing for their futures.
Solskjaer is believed to want as many as six major new signings this summer, with only a handful of players certain of their long-term future at the club.
Both Koulibaly and Sancho sit in second place with their clubs in Serie A and the Bundesliga respectively and are virtually certain to play Champions League football next season, meaning Solskjaer must arrest his side’s slump and finish in the top four to ensure his targets are not being asked to take a step downwards.
