The £128 million challenge Ole Solskjaer faces at Manchester United

If he comes back to manage Manchester United, one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's initial challenges will be optimizing the two key players that the club invested £128 million to acquire.

The dismissal of Ruben Amorim has triggered significant and unpredictable changes at Old Trafford. Part of Amorim's failure was due to his rigid tactical approach. He insisted on a 3-4-3 formation, deploying two "number 10" players. To support this idea, Manchester United heavily invested in the summer, bringing in Bryan Mbeumo (£65 million) and Matheus Cunha (£63 million) — two expensive signings intended to fill those roles.

However, after Amorim’s sacking, the 3-4-3 system was almost completely abandoned. This scenario seems to have caught INEOS off guard when they approved those two transfers. Currently the leading candidate for the interim Manchester United manager position is Solskjaer, a coach who prefers a four-defender setup with two speedy wingers supporting a central striker and a "number 10" in the middle.

Solskjaer’s philosophy of utilizing pacey wingers was also evident during his brief and challenging spell at Besiktas. In Turkey, he lacked suitable personnel, which is believed to be a key reason for his dismissal in August, following Besiktas' exit in the Europa League and Europa Conference League playoffs.

Turkish football expert and Besiktas podcaster Kaan Bayazit believes Solskjaer was "handcuffed" due to a lack of quality wingers. He told Manchester Evening News:

“The style of play wasn’t very impressive, mainly because of limited personnel. There were moments when their football looked decent, but they were rare. Besiktas had only one genuine winger. Ole always emphasized his need for wide players, but that was never fulfilled. Still, he managed to maximize the squad’s potential, especially in big matches.”.

In theory, there is no reason why Mbeumo and Cunha couldn’t play together under Solskjaer, but it’s unlikely they would both serve as a pair of “number 10s.” At Brentford, Mbeumo mainly excelled on the right wing and was willing to adapt to different roles when necessary. Upon joining Manchester United, he stated: “The decision is up to the coach. Being able to play multiple positions is very important; I will play wherever I am asked.”.

On the other hand, Matheus Cunha presents a more complicated problem. If Manchester United operates with a 4-2-3-1 formation, the "number 10" role will likely belong to Bruno Fernandes. In that case, Cunha’s role and standing within Solskjaer’s system remain uncertain.

<*!>Cunha is not a traditional winger, and attempts to play him on the wing have generally been unsuccessful.

Darren Fletcheronce tried deploying him as a right midfielder in a 2-2 draw against Burnley, but the former Wolves player was almost invisible on the pitch.

Cunha is not the type of pacey winger that Solskjaer typically requires.

Although he just joined Manchester United, Cunha quickly proved his talent and became one of the most important players in the Red Devils’ attack. Optimizing the two new signings, for whom the club spent £128 million, will be one of the first tasks for Solskjaer or any interim manager who takes charge at Old Trafford soon.