Arsene Wenger says Manchester United a ‘dream job’
Former Gunners boss adds that he knows four signings who can help Red Devils
Following Manchester United's limp penalty shoot-out victory over third-tier Rochdale in the League Cup yesterday morning (Singapore time), manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's odds to be sacked has been slashed, and already a potential candidate has emerged.
Speaking as a pundit on beIN Sports, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "Manchester United is a dream job. For any coach. I have confidence, I have courage and I have ideas."
After 22 years at the helm at Arsenal, the 69-year-old left the English Premier League club in May 2018 and has not taken up a managerial role since.
Wenger was not impressed with United needing a 5-3 penalty shoot-out win to edge past Rochdale after 16-year-old Luke Matheson cancelled out 17-year-old Mason Greenwood's opener in regular time.
However, the Frenchman, who won three EPL titles and seven FA Cups with the Gunners, added that United are not actually that far away from challenging for silverware if they were to recruit four more players who can fill particular roles on the pitch.
"They need four first-team players," said Wenger, who also criticised United's lack of a "pattern of play" or "pattern of pressing" and insisted that such things still need to be coached and developed.
"But, around those players, I see a squad that are capable of challenging. They aren't as far away as people think.
"I cannot name the four players. It would be headlines everywhere. I know them.
"They lack creativity, flair, players who can expose the defence consistently through dribbling ability and speed.
"Now, it is too horizontal. Side to side. Backwards. Nobody to beat a defender and force chaos, force a one-on-one. They need an overlapping fullback. They need a destroyer."
Meanwhile, Solskjaer, who was subjected to calls for his sacking on social media, urged his players to be more ruthless after converting just one of their 31 shots against Rochdale.
"We go 1-0 up in many games. Today, it's again go 1-0 up and you think 'go on then, get the second' which is the key now and that is (a) learning curve for these boys as well," said Solskjaer, whose side are a lowly eighth in the EPL.
"We need to go for a second. At this club, you don't just sit back and hope that's good enough."
The under-fire Norwegian could have done with an easier draw than a fourth-round clash with Chelsea, but United did beat them on the first day of the season and Solskjaer said: "If you want to win the cup, you have to beat the best.
"We played them in the FA Cup last year, we played them first game of the season this year... it slots into a couple of weeks with loads of travelling."
AWAY GAMES
United will have four successive away games, with trips to Norwich, Partizan Belgrade, Chelsea and Bournemouth as October turns to November.
"That's how it is. We have to make the best out of it. I am sure we will because that's the type of group this is, that's the type of club we are," Solskjaer said.
"We are not going to say 'argh', we're going to relish it and look forward to it."
YESTERDAY'S RESULTS
- Brighton 1 Aston Villa 3
- Burton 2 Bournemouth 0
- Chelsea 7 Grimsby 1
- MK Dons 0 Liverpool 2
- Oxford 4 West Ham 0
- Sheffield 0 Sunderland 1
- Wolves 1 Reading 1 (Wolves win 4-2 on penalties)
- Manchester United 1 Rochdale 1 (United win 5-3 on penalties)
FOURTH-ROUND DRAW
- Everton v Watford
- Aston Villa v Wolves
- Manchester City v Southampton
- Burton v Leicester
- Crawley v Colchester
- Chelsea v Man United
- Oxford v Sunderland
- Liverpool v Arsenal
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