After another disappointing night for Manchester United in the Champions League, John Giles casted doubt on the capabilities of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to turn things around.
Set in what had appeared to be a strong position after defeating Paris St Germain and RB Leipzig in the two opening rounds of games, Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League this week as they managed to secure only three more points from their remaining four games.
The latest low point in what has become a series of ups and downs for Solskjaer and his team, John Giles has no real belief in the Norwegian's ability to bring the club to where it needs to be.
"I don't think Solskjaer is in charge of the situation there," Giles asserted, the former Republic of Ireland international and manager speaking to OTB Sports on Thursday evening.
"He looks like a boy to me, Solskjaer. He is there two years and what do we say about Manchester United? They're very good at times but inconsistent.
"Inconsistency is because the manager hasn't a grip of the situation. Football, in my opinion, is made up of a million little things. What the great managers do, week by week, is improve the team through spotting the mistakes and putting them right.
"That is not the case with Manchester United. After two years of Solskjaer, you still don't know what you will get from them."
A tumultuous week for United on the field, the situation surrounding Paul Pogba's future grew more uncertain as his agent Mino Raiola publicly announced that the French midfielder would be leaving the club.
"Solskjaer I don't think is in charge of the situation generally but he is certainly not in charge of the Pogba problem," Giles commented, adamant that the United boss has failed to show leadership in his dealings with the World Cup winner.
"When you're really in charge of a club you don't put up with this - you get rid of problems. I don't think Jurgen Klopp would take Paul Pogba for nothing."
Crucially, as Manchester United take on their city rivals this weekend, Giles admitted that he would not be remotely surprised if Solskjaer's team delivered one of their better performances and upset Pep Guardiola's team.
Nevertheless, he has no long-term faith in the United manager's ability to bring this team up to the necessary pitch on a consistent basis.
"What I find with some managers and Solskjaer falls into this category," he suggested, "when they have played under a great manager like Alex Ferguson, they try to copy them.
"When he came into the club first he said they're going to bring it back to the Manchester United way, this is what Ferguson did and all that - you don't repeat that!
"What you have to do is learn from these great managers that you play under but then you have to do it your own way. Solskjaer is trying to copy Ferguson all the way but that time has gone."
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