Alan Shearer Exclusive: Solskjaer return would be mistake for Man Utd

• Shearer says United could get Tuchel or Ancelotti in summer

• New Blues boss Rosenoir must fix Chelsea's indiscipline

• Title race is not over but Arsenal have best chance ever

• Safe Sub is here for the 2025-26 season - read all about it!

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Solskjaer return would be mistake for Man Utd 

I wasn't surprised at all that Amorim was sacked in the end. I think Ruben Amorim knew it was coming. He gave them no choice with his outburst after the Leeds game.  

In any walk of life, if you publicly criticise your boss, you know what's going to happen. Once he did that, it was just a matter of time. I think he knew what he was doing, he knew the writing was on the wall and that rant was his way of trying to take other people down with him. 

It would be a really strange appointment to go back to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. I would understand Darren Fletcher or Michael Carrick getting the job, but I wouldn't understand going back to a guy the club have already sacked. I know Ole played for the club, has a great history and affinity there, and did well as an interim, but they sacked him for a reason. 

I totally understand Carrick or Fletcher to get them through to the end of the season. But it does seem like a recurring thing, and they have to be really careful.  

If the interim manager does well, they have to be really careful not to get stuck in that trap again. There will be big-name managers available in the summer - maybe Thomas Tuchel, depending on England's World Cup, maybe Carlo Ancelotti depending on Brazil. 

You stop the cycle by getting a really strong, big character in and letting him do the job. It's no coincidence that the three clubs at the top - Villa, City, and Arsenal - are all basically run by their managers.  

They have directors of football, but they work in sync. That has to happen at Man United to get them anywhere near where they want to be. 

No quick fix for Man Utd's problems 

I'm not sure it's going to get much better at Manchester United. I know they'll get players back from AFCON and they have injuries, but I still think they're a seventh or eighth-place team. I don't think they're much better than that. 

I've said that all season and been consistent with it. Fletcher isn't a magician; he can't just wave a wand and miraculously fix it. 

It's going to take a while for them to get back into the top four regularly. The performance against Burnley didn't surprise me. They are where they are, and it will be a while before they're challenging again. 

The players have to take some responsibility, as does the manager, and the decision-makers at Old Trafford for the sacking of Amorim. They're the ones who sat in a room with him, thought he was the right man, knew his system, and ultimately got it wrong. It's a collective failure. 

You can't pin the blame on just one person or group. Yes, players have failed to take chances, and the manager underperformed, but look at the decision-makers: hiring and sacking Dan Ashworth, hiring Amorim, insisting he come early. There are so many things wrong with that football club. That's why it won't change overnight.  

I understand why they might wait until the end of the season to appoint a permanent manager - there may be big names available then, so it is a sensible move.  

I'd be shocked if Eddie Howe wanted Man U job

I wouldn't have thought Eddie Howe would take the Manchester United job. I understand why his name is mentioned as he's taken Newcastle from relegation candidates to regularly challenging for cups and the Champions League places.  

But with the control and understanding he has at Newcastle, I'd be amazed if he entertained it. He's said he's happy at Newcastle, and with the control, being able to do what he wants is key. 

It has been a graveyard for a while for players and coaches. There have been so many in there and it just hasn't worked. I know they've got a new regime with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but there have been so many poor decisions. It would take a brave man to go there. 

Rosenior must fix Chelsea's indiscipline 

Liam Rosenior couldn't turn down the opportunity to manage Chelsea, regardless of what you think of the multi-club situation. I just hope the club doesn't swallow him up. Managing Chelsea is difficult; you have to get Champions League football and win trophies - at least he knows what he has to do at that club. 

He has to play a certain way and work with the players. I don't know how many sporting directors they've got, but he has to work with the players. It's a great opportunity, but a massive ask for a really experienced manager going in there, let alone a young manager coming from Strasbourg. 

One thing he has to address is Chelsea's discipline problem. If that doesn't improve, poor discipline will cost them like it already cost them three points against Fulham. If it doesn't stop, they won't make the Champions League. 

Arsenal will never have better title chance

I wouldn't say the title race is over, but Arsenal will never have a better chance. Six points clear after 21 games. They can afford results like the draw against Liverpool now, whereas City can't. 

I don't think Liverpool had a single effort on target at the Emirates on Thursday, did they? Arsenal defended well and nullified Arsenal, which not many have been able to do. So I thought it was actually more of a positive for Liverpool than a negative for Arsenal.  

Arsenal aren't going to win every game, so when they don't win, they have to ensure they pick something up, and a draw was probably a fair result. 

Manchester City haven't been near their usual heights. I doubted they'd get back to those levels at the start of the season. Rodri returning is a plus, but defensively they're giving a lot away - which is maybe why they're interested in signing Marc Guéhi. 

They've signed Antoine Semenyo, who is another attacking talent he'll somehow have to get into that team, but the concern is how many chances they're giving up. 

The FA Cup is fabulous and has not been devalued 

It's a great weekend having the FA Cup back everyone looks forward to the potential giant killings. The competition hasn't been devalued; there's still a huge appetite to win this trophy. 

Other competitions, like the Premier League and Champions League for the big boys is really important, but this is a hugely important competition. It's always a great weekend - I've played in many games where the pressure is huge on the big boys. I also played in the Cup for Southampton, going to clubs where they expect to beat you, so I know how that works. 

It's a fabulous competition, despite me losing in two Wembley cup finals. People say it's a dream to reach an FA Cup final, but only if you win. Wembley is a horrible place for losers. It's only a place for winners.  

I've lost three times there - one semi-final and two finals. My best memories are actually the two semi-finals at Old Trafford against Tottenham and Sheffield United. I scored in both, and we won both. Great memories in the semis rather than the finals. 

Newcastle are getting on right side of fine margins 

Fine margins are always crucial in football, but especially this season in the Premier League. Two or three wins can catapult you up the table - just look at Fulham. Those fixtures (Palace, Burnley, Leeds) were always winnable and winning them has put Newcastle in the top six. 

You have to get on the right side of those margins. I didn't think they played that well against Leeds; there were poor spells, and I was impressed by how brave Leeds were. It was an amazing game of football, but it's a good sign when you're not at your best and still get the result. 

You look back at the Liverpool and Arsenal games, two very late goals that obviously hurt Newcastle. We've been on the other side of it, so you enjoy it a lot more when it goes your way. And the manner of it being 3-2 down with so little time left, getting the penalty, and then realising you can actually go on and win it. It was chaos. Great chaos. 

Spurs' recruitment hasn't worked 

It doesn't seem like a happy environment at Tottenham at the moment. It's a tough job. I like Thomas Frank and how he works having spent time with him during the World Cup, but Spurs are a tough club to go into. 

They won a trophy last year, somehow, but still finished 17th. It doesn't seem like it's going anywhere - I know they've got injuries, but I don't think they're a great squad. I never thought they'd get near the Champions League this season.  

The squad isn't great, and the recruitment hasn't worked yet. You can't go from 17th to the top four overnight.

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