OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER previously said a 3-4-3 system was “brilliant when done well” after commenting on Ruben Amorim’s tactics.
Solskjaer, who managed United between 2018 and 2021, is being linked with a sensational return to Old Trafford after Amorim was sacked by the club.
The Norwegian, 52, is a club legend at United after making 366 appearances and was a favourite among fans during his coaching stint.
And recent reports from the Athletic claim United are considering him for a second caretaker stint until the end of the season.
Amorim had a disastrous spell at United that ended after just 14 months and his tactical stubbornness certainly ruffled a few feathers.
The Portuguese boss was insistent that he would not stop playing with a back three and even persisted with it against League Two Grimsby Town, who dumped them out of the Carabao Cup.
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Solskjaer was asked to comment on Amorim’s decision to keep playing his 3-4-3 despite getting poor results in November.
He admitted the system was “horrible to play against” and said it could be a “brilliant” tactical set-up – but only if the whole team worked together to execute it.
Speaking on the Overlap, he said: “The 3-4-3, or 3-box-3 — whatever you want to call it — it’s horrible to play against when it’s done well. If you try to press it high, it’s really difficult.
“The first team I remember doing it properly in our era was Basel against Liverpool in the Champions League a few years back. And you could just see it — Liverpool were struggling to press them.
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“You almost have to go man-to-man, follow every run, track everything, and even then it’s tough.
“When it works, it’s brilliant, but you do need teams to press you for it to really click.
“You see that with United now – they tend to win more games when they’ve got 45–50 per cent possession, rather than 60–65 per cent.”
Despite pressure to avert away from the 3-4-3, Amorim vowed never to change it, even as his team lumbered to a 15th-placed finish in the Premier League last season.
While results did improve in this campaign, Amorim has the worst win rate of any United boss in the Premier League era with just 31.9 per cent.
That translates to just 1.43 points per game.
Solskjaer, meanwhile, left United with a 54.2 per cent win percentage, picking up 1.81 points per game.
The former Cardiff and Molde boss was considered as a potential caretaker boss before United appointed Amorim, when it was unclear whether they could secure the ex-Sporting Lisbon coach.
For now, former United midfielder Darren Fletcher will take charge of United on an interim basis ahead of their trip to Burnley on Wednesday.
Michael Carrick, who briefly took interim charge of United when Solskjaer was sacked in 2021, could return to the club as part of Fletcher’s backroom staff.
And ex-United defender Jonny Evans, who only left his role as head of loans and pathways in December, could also return to the coaching set-up after Amorim’s departure.