Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reached a new low as Manchester United manager.Many fans were surprised that the Norwegian survived the international break on the back of gut-wrenching Premier League defeats at home to Liverpool and Manchester City.But alas, the Old Trafford hierarchy have shown remarkable faith in their coach with Solskjaer striving to get the Red Devils back on track with the trip to Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.
Watford 4-1 Man Utd
However, it was simply more of the same with United slumping to a humiliating 4-1 defeat as goals from Joshua King, Ismaïla Sarr, Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis secured the win for Watford.
Donny van de Beek had briefly threatened to spark a comeback by making it 2-1 after the break, but Harry Maguire's red card for two bookings in seven minutes proved to be the killer blow.
Watford 4-1 Man Utd match reaction (Football Terrace)
As such, reports are now rife that United are sharpening their axe with even the most ardent of Solskjaer supporters coming to terms with the fact that the current project simply isn't working.
And that could mean that the post-match interviews that Solskjaer gave on the back of the Watford defeat will be the last time that he steps in front of the microphones as United manager.
Solskjaer apologises for smiling
Naturally, it's impossible to tell exactly what was going through Solskjaer's mind as he faced the world press, but it didn't take a body language expert to establish his forlorn tone and demeanour.
In fact, in a particularly heartbreaking interview with Sky Sports, Solskjaer even apologised for smiling when asked by Geoff Shreeves: "Why weren't the players in the right frame of mind?"
“Sorry for smiling there, but that’s human beings," Solskjaer said. "You’re surprised [by the start], all these good lads, top players, top professionals, when it’s not going for you it’s going against you and it’s hard to play with that mental break."
You can check out the moment that Solskjaer apologised during his interview if you skip to 1:08 in the video down below:
A sad situation for Solskjaer
When you consider the situation for what it really is - somebody facing the prospect of losing their dream job - you can't help feeling sad when you hear Solskjaer apologising for even smiling.
The United boss has been bombarded with memes of images showing him grinning after defeats over the years as though he must look completely heartbroken whenever a camera is on him.
And it's clear that this inflated social media narrative has affected Solskjaer because it's hard to imagine him feeling instantly guilty for the slightest of smiles otherwise.
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It seems indisputable now that Solskjaer isn't the right man to take the Red Devils forward, but that doesn't make it any less saddening to see a club icon looking so deflated after a major humiliation.
