And that is where a fixture like Watford, and the timing of the calendar is even more relevant. It could see a move for Brendan Rodgers, who is not currently seen as a genuine candidate. If they further tailspin, United might be bounced into a decision they don’t really want to make or a manager they don’t necessarily see as the best possible option. That determination will ultimately be dictated by results. Whereas United were “more confident than ever” that they were “on the right track” under Solskjaer seven weeks ago, they are now just “determined” to bring success with the Norwegian. There was a subtle shift to Woodward’s language in the comments accompanying the latest accounts. That just leaves Solskjaer there, in charge of a squad who mostly like him but have long realised a change could be for the best, and the club dependent on all of this just holding steady enough. Ralph Rangnick is currently seen as too demanding, right up to the reality he’d want a role afterwards. United would prefer not to go with an interim, since there are no viable candidates there either. Erik ten Hag and Pochettino are possibly available at the end of the season, but not before. Ed Woodward is said to be “enchanted” by the idea of a Zinedine Zidane, or a Diego Simeone - in other words, the big Champions League managers - but knows they are out of the question. Solskjaer is mostly still in a job because they don’t have a viable replacement. Most of what has been circulated in the last few weeks remains true. That is the situation United now find themselves in, paralysed by indecision. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have lost three of their last four Premier League games (Getty) Either way, if the situation was the same now, it feels likely they would have acted. United sources insist there was no official contact with the Argentine. The only time the hierarchy came anywhere close to considering something else was in October 2020, after they lost 6-1 to Tottenham Hotspur and Pochettino sat out of work, but so prominent in the background. It should be acknowledged United were almost completely 100% committed to Solskjaer throughout that period. His three years in the job have overlapped with periods when Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino, Julian Nagelsmann and Antonio Conte were either out of work or changing jobs. The right manager - including some of those they would want now - was available at several different points over Solskaer’s tenure. If the right manager was available, they would probably have moved. That is mostly because the United board pretty much know this has run its course. Then again, so much of Solskjaer’s tenure - right down to when and how Ronaldo was signed - is an illustration of the importance of timing in football. It is why the arrival of one of the Premier League’s more forgiving fixtures, away to Claudio Ranieri’s Watford, might be good timing. Given that there is a fair argument Ronaldo has become perhaps the most powerful football figure at the club, he could similarly do with the endorphin rush of a few easy goals. They could all do with the balm of better results. This is one other reason the Corkman gets so worked up as a pundit, on behalf of his friend. “He’s just pissed off.” On the other side, Solskjaer himself has been talking to Roy Keane. Ronaldo has been complaining to former United teammates about how things have been going under Solskjaer and naturally comparing them to the good old days.