Despite a humiliating defeat at the hands of Liverpool on Sunday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains the manager of Manchester United manager for now and his team are the bookies’ favourites to get what would be a crucial win against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.
The Norwegian is as short as 1/5 with some betting sites to be the next Premier League manager to leave his post, with the opposing boss this Saturday, Nuno Espirito Santo, also under pressure and priced at 16/1 to be given the chop next.
Neither Spurs nor United look in good shape at the moment, but the Red Devils have at least shown an ability to grind out results against decent opposition, particularly in the Champions League where Cristiano Ronaldo has mustered two crucial late winners.
With a stronger squad and a great domestic away record, it’s no surprise that the bookmakers give United the edge at 11/8 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but it is still a big ask to recover from Sunday’s embarrassment straight away.
Sunday was hardly a day to remember for Spurs either as they were beaten 1-0 by West Ham United, but at 15/8 they can’t be ruled out of a home triumph.
With a defeat possibly being the final straw for Solskjaer and perhaps even Espirito Santo, backing the draw at 5/2 might not be the worst idea in a fixture that is the subject of many of the best betting promotions this weekend.
While there is still no guarantee that Solskjaer will lose his job at Old Trafford, there has been plenty of speculation as to who could replace him, and the man leading the way in the betting market is Antonio Conte.
The Italian, who led Chelsea to the title in 2016/17, is currently available after leaving the Serie A champions, Inter Milan, in the summer.
Conte is 8/11 to become the next United manager, and given the success he has achieved previously in England and even more recently with Inter, it would surely be a great fit despite concerns that it may turn out to be another short-term fix similar to Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.
Both Zinedine Zidane and Brendan Rodgers are at 10/1, but the former is reportedly not interested in the role and it may be difficult to get United fans on board with Rodgers given his history with Liverpool.
It is no secret that Mauricio Pochettino has been a long-term target for the Red Devils, and he is a contender according to the betting sites at 14/1 but the timing is all wrong as the Argentine only took over Paris Saint-Germain in early 2021 and has a contract until 2023.
United are now pretty much out of the Premier League title race as far as the bookies are concerned, with some firms pricing them up as big as 80/1 to lift the trophy.
Even the top four, which was considered almost a guarantee a matter of weeks ago, is far from a formality now at 8/11.
