Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will know that “trouble” is brewing at Manchester United, says Steve McClaren, with the inconsistent Red Devils nine out of 10 one week and “four or five” the next.
Such struggles have been holding the Old Trafford outfit back for some time.
Ever since Sir Alex Ferguson headed into retirement back in 2013, United have been scratching around for a spark that will allow them to recapture former glories.
David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have tried and failed to bring the good times back, with only sporadic successes enjoyed along the way.
Solskjaer is the man charged with turning the tide at present, although questions are being asked of his future as a result of his side's inconsistent displays.
And McClaren has admitted that further change may be on the way unless playing and coaching staff start pulling in the same direction.
Ferguson’s former right-hand man told talkSPORT: “What is probably annoying most people, it’s certainly annoying me, is the consistency of the players is not there – that’s why they’re getting inconsistent results!
“Two weeks ago people were calling for Ole‘s head, then last week after the 5-0 against Leipzig it was all ‘what a manager’, ‘stick by him’.
“I’ve got to say, the players have got to take responsibility. I know you need consistency of shape, but you need consistency of performance from players, and they’re just…
“One week they’re a nine or ten, the next week they’re four and five, and a top team can’t have that.
“But both the players and the manager have got a responsibility, really. You’ve got to get the best out of your players and make sure that’s week in, week out, otherwise Ole and every manager knows you’re going to be in trouble.
“At Manchester United you have to win, every defeat is a crisis.
“You might get out of the mire with a 5-0 against Leipzig, but you know on a Thursday morning you’ve got to win on Sunday, or you’ll be back to being criticised.
“That’s how it works at big clubs. You get beat once and it’s like a morgue, it’s like a crisis. The players have to respond, but they’re not responding.
“Credit to Arsenal, I thought they were excellent. They were organised, disciplined, had intensity in and out of possession, which Manchester United couldn’t match.
“Yes, United are OK when they’re in possession but the problem, for me, is when they’re out of possession everyone is kind of all over the place.
“You see the discipline and organisation of Arsenal; consistency week in, week out gets consistency of performance, and that’s what Manchester United need!”
United suffered a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in their last Premier League outing, with a wretched run of results on home soil leaving the Red Devils 15th in the table and taking in their worst start to a top-flight campaign since Moyes’ ill-fated tenure in 2013-14.