Bookmakers have priced up the potential fortunes of Manchester United this season.
Following Jose Mourinho’s sacking by Manchester United, club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been unveiled as the caretaker boss at Old Trafford until the end of the season.
Bookmakers have priced up some possible outcomes of the baby-faced assassin’s loan spell from Norwegian club Molde.
Though there are doubts over Solskjaer’s managerial credentials, there is every possibility that the usual ‘new manager bounce’ will come into play at United. He’s priced at 9/2 to win his first five competitive matches in charge, implying an 18% chance.
For those that have an even rosier view of the caretaker manager’s potential, United are priced at 13/2 to win a trophy by the end of the season. In layman’s terms that equates to a slim 13% chance of silverware.
Through to the knockout stages of the Champions League but up against PSG, European silverware is unlikely to be within reach. With a third round fixture against Reading in January, the FA Cup could be the best hope.
The Premier League title is almost certainly long gone, with the Red Devils already nineteen points behind leaders Liverpool in sixth. Bookies have them at 9/1 to finish in the top four. Currently trailing fourth place Chelsea by eleven points, bookies unsurprisingly see that as a slim 10% chance.
In the event that the gamble proves not to pay off for the United board and the remaining wheels come off at the Theatre of Dreams, bookies have priced them at 33/1 to finish in the bottom half of the Premier League. Backing Solskjaer to steady the ship, they’re implying less than a 3% chance they finish below tenth.
Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek: “There aren't many people who can argue against the decision to relieve Mourinho of his duties, but the fact remains that Solskjaer is merely a babysitter at Old Trafford before the main man comes in. The 33/1 about a bottom half finish will likely prove popular with those doubting the Norwegian's credentials for the job.”
