Peter Kenyon blasts Man Utd over Solskjaer appointment; suggests Mourinho should return

Former Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon believes the club are paying a high price for their decision to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a successor to Jose Mourinho.

The Red Devils have only picked up eight points from their first six matches of the Premier League season on the back of Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at West Ham and already find themselves 10 points adrift of leaders Liverpool.

That has led to a worrying admission of where the club are at by the club’s owners, the Glazer family, while Roy Keane did not hold back in his criticism of Manchester United, telling them multiple home truths, while Gary Neville says the club needs to sign five top-class stars just to get back on an even playing field with Liverpool.

However, former CEO Kenyon – having watched the club struggle to beat League One Rochdale in the Carabao Cup in midweek – believes United have made zero progress since appointing Solskjaer – and says if he were still in charge he’d bring back the controversial Portuguese coach.

Speaking at the World Football Summit, Kenyon said: “If you put me in charge of a great club and you needed to appoint a manager, my first thought would be Jose Mourinho.

“He’s intelligent, he’s relevant and has vast experience. He isn’t outdated. I just think he needs the right club. I’m sure that you’ll see Mourinho be a part of a great club again.”

In publishing their annual accounts in midweek, United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward called for Solskjaer to be afforded more time and underlined the club’s philosophy to build again from the youth team up again.

 

 

But Kenyon reckons Mourinho, sacked last December, should have been afforded the same luxury and added: “The key is to give him the adequate structure and organisation to make sure he’s a part of everything.

“I was the first to express my disappointment when he left United because I think he could have been a part of that great leadership structure.

“No one better than him know what United represents. Jose is far from being an irrelevant and outdated manager.”

 

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