Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Man Utd vs Aston Villa 2019-20Getty Images

‘Solskjaer can’t drop points every game & finish 10th’ – Top four ‘a lot better’ than Man Utd, says Scholes

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may need “three or four” transfer windows to turn Manchester United around, says Paul Scholes, but the Red Devils also cannot afford to be “dropping points every game and finishing 10th”.

A Red Devils legend hopes that his former team-mate will be given time to deliver a reversal in fortunes at Old Trafford, with stability required at some stage after a period of much change.

Long-term vision needs to be displayed by the 13-time Premier League champions, with links to former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino surfacing again amid questions of Solskjaer’s suitability.

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Scholes concedes that the Norwegian needs to deliver in the present, with United still struggling for consistency, but believes patience is essential as an ambitious club builds towards a brighter future.

"There won't be an acceptance from the fans, Ole, his staff or people at the club," Scholes told Sky Sports. "They know it's not good enough.

"If Ole's going to build he needs to get results along the way. You can't be dropping points every game and finishing 10th in the league. He needs to show progression in his team.

"When Jurgen Klopp came in at Liverpool, for the first year or two you felt that they were building something. They look like they're going to win the league this year.

"There needs to be some enthusiasm for the fans that they're going to see a team that's going to challenge for the league in a year or two. We haven't seen that at the minute.

"But with three or four transfer windows who knows - hopefully, Ole can turn it around."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Man Utd vs Aston Villa 2019-20Getty Images

Scholes added amid the links to Pochettino, with United having already got through David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho since Sir Alex Ferguson headed into retirement back in 2013: “They’ve had three managers now before Ole’s come in and they’ve got to stick with someone, they have to.

“They have to give him the time, three or four transfer windows I think they need.

“About two or three weeks ago they were playing really well, playing good football and you think ‘Maybe they’re not too far away’.

“And then they have a spell again, a couple of injuries, a couple of big injuries and you’re thinking again ‘They need three or four transfer windows’.

“Hopefully Ole’s the man to get the time and money to spend.

“They need to improve, players. Fred, [Andreas] Pereira, it’s their chance now to shine, they haven’t quite done that.

“The top four teams look a lot better than United do at the minute. Don't get me wrong, United can go on a run.

“It doesn't take too long for it to all change around, especially over the Christmas period where there’s a lot of games.

"That's the time when you need to start picking up some points and climbing up the table, and the sooner they do that the better.”

Things are not about to get any easier for United, who sit ninth in the Premier League at present, with their next two games set to see them take in a reunion with Mourinho and Tottenham before then travelling to the Etihad Stadium for a derby date with Manchester City.

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