Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has been sacked by Manchester United following a torrid run of form, capped off by a poor display at Watford. With that in mind, we've taken a look at how the Red Devils' future will fair without their Norweigan star by simulating into the future in Football Manager 2022.
From life before his sacking to a surprising new appointment, here's who Football Manager thinks will be taking the reins at Old Trafford following Solksjaer's departure.
Before Solksjaer's Sacking
In order to keep this simulation as true to real life as possible, we simulated to November 21st before sacking United's baby-faced assassin.
Turns out, Ole was actually doing a pretty amazing job, with the Red Devils sitting top of both the Premier League and their Champions League group.
Whilst he would never have lost his job in real life had results been the same, we still gave Ole the boot in order to find out who would take over.
Replacement Contenders
Rumours are rife in real life that Pochettino, Zidane and Luis Enrique are all being considered for the top job at Old Trafford, but it seems that Football Manager 2022 has different ideas.
Athletic Bilbao manager Marcellino was installed as the bookies favourite in FM22, with former German national team coach Joachim Low also considered for the role.
It took nearly a month but eventually, Ernesto Valverde was the man chosen to lead Manchester United into a new era.
Life After Solksjaer
Ernesto Valverde's first game in charge of United saw them beat Newcastle by a single goal, and the good times kept rolling for the former Barcelona boss.
When Solksjaer left Old Trafford, the Red Devils were top of the league and looking set for UCL success, so how did things look at the end of the season?
As you can see, Valverde couldn't maintain the title charge and United eventually slumped to a fourth-place finish, with city rivals Manchester City once again claiming the title under Pep Guardiola.
However, United did have their day against the Citizens, with Valverde's reds beating Guardiola's side in the Champions League final. A tense penalty shoot-out decided the affair, but it was Manchester United's Spanish boss who left with a smile on his face.
Unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo finished top scorer for United on his return to England, with Jadon Sancho, Dean Henderson, and Marcus Rashoford turning in top performances for their new manager.
No new signings were made by Valverde, with the Spaniard maintaining tradition by keeping Donny Van De Beek firmly chained to the subs bench.
Ole's New Wheels
After an emotional club interview and some farewell Tweets from his former players, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faded into the night never to be seen again...
Except that wasn't quite the case, with the Norweigan accepting the managerial job at Brentford merely 2 months after his departure from Old Trafford.
The Norweigan legend was tasked with saving the Bees from relegation, but he only managed one win in the league for the rest of the season and Brentford were duly relegated.
There were mixed results across the board for everyone involved and it remains to be seen just how United will look to rebuild following Ole's sacking. If this simulation is anything to go by, they could well have some reason to cheer at the end of the season.
Click here to find out everything we know about Football Manager 2022.
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