Manchester United are showing no private signs of replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their manager, according to journalist Miguel Delaney.
Attention turned again to the future of the Norwegian coach after United were comprehensively beaten 3-1 in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Manchester City.
In reality, the embarrassment could have been significantly greater for Manchester United, and Delaney reacted with incredulity to his sources' confirmation that Solskjaer will stay with the club for the foreseeable future.
"At half-time, it had the look of a sacking performance," said Delaney of Tuesday night's result, saying it reminded him of the April 2018 reverse at the Etihad.
"At half-time in [the game in April match] it looked like a sacking performance, but they turned it around - only delaying the inevitable.
"It is difficult to escape a similar perception with Solskjaer.
"No matter what way you look at this at this point, it is pretty incredible that Manchester United are going to persist with this when it is apparent to pretty much anyone. It would be a massive surprise if this turned into what they want, which is a quasi-Ferguson situation.
"From everything you hear within the club, there is actually no move to move him on - this is a longer-term project and they are going to keep their heads."
.@MiguelDelaney on #MUFC's transfer activity and Solskjaer's future: https://t.co/8aAPiJFIiy pic.twitter.com/oVTaMqA4Vh
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) January 8, 2020
Delaney also gave an update on Manchester United's transfer targets for this window and next.
"Everything at the club is so reactive," said Delaney.
"They have quite a worrying tendency to go for players developed in England, and particular English nationality players, when the price on them has never been higher.
"A lot of those players are reticent about going to Manchester United right now.
"They have improved a lot in terms of scouting and recruitment, but there are still questions over the levels of target they have in that regard.
"This January, I have heard [...] they were thinking about Ruben Neves, but apparently he has no interest in going.
"Right now, one of their solutions is looking at some loan deals, which sums up the situation a bit."
