The midfielder says the Norwegian still enjoys the full confidence of his players at Old Trafford despite a poor start to 2020-21
Scott McTominay has claimed the Manchester United squad are behind Ole Gunnar Solskjaer amid rumours that Bruno Fernandes has lost faith in the Norwegian.
The pressure is beginning to build on Solskjaer at the start of his second full season in charge at Old Trafford.
United managed a third-place finish in 2019-20, but have so far been unable to build on the promise of an impressive post-lockdown run between June and August.
The Red Devils opened their latest campaign with a home defeat to Crystal Palace, before picking up a fortunate victory away at Brighton in between Carabao Cup wins against Luton Town and the Seagulls.
Any momentum built up after three wins on the bounce was wiped out completely when Solskjaer saw his side thrashed 6-1 by Tottenham before the international break, which already leaves them nine points behind early pacesetters Everton having played a game less.
Fernandes scored United’s goal from the penalty spot against Spurs, taking his overall tally for the club to 14 in 26 appearances since joining from Sporting CP in January.
The €55 million (£50m/$65m) playmaker quickly settled into life in the Premier League while seemingly inspiring his new team-mates to raise their own performance levels, but the mood of optimism surrounding the club has been replaced by frustration and disappointment in recent weeks.
It has been reported that Fernandes no longer believes Solskjaer is the right man to take the Red Devils forward, and that he was left bemused by the club’s failure to significantly strengthen the squad during the summer transfer window.
However, McTominay has rubbished any suggestion of discord in the dressing room, insisting the 47-year-old head coach still enjoys the full confidence of his players.
“The whole club is behind him,” the Scotland midfielder told TV2 while away on international duty. “We believe in every word he says, and it’s not just him.Â
“We trust every word from Mike Phelan, Kieran McKenna, Michael Carrick and the entire support staff.”
Asked to assess the first two-and-a-half years of Solskjaer’s reign, McTominay added: “Fantastic. You see it in the way he has developed me and given me playing time and how I have played. That is a lot to his credit.”
United are due back in Premier League action away at Newcastle on Saturday, before their focus shifts to a Champions League group-stage opener against Paris Saint-Germain three days later.
