Manchester United sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer now would be unfair according to midfielder-turned-manager Martin Allen, who believes the Norwegian deserves more time to put things right.
The pressure is continuing to mount on Solskjaer, with his dull brand of football failing to get results with the Red Devils floundering at 12th in the table.
United were beaten 1-0 at Newcastle on Sunday in a dour affair and now the club find themselves in a position of severe difficulty.
Yet Allen, a boss no stranger to the sack himself, believes Solskjaer should be given the opportunity to bring in some new faces in the transfer window.
His three signings this summer Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James have been three of the best performers so far this term in the eyes of supporters.
“I think they’ve given him that job and not recruited enough players especially in the summer,” former West Ham midfielder Allen said on Love Sport Radio.
“Especially a centre-forward that we’ve discussed many times here.
“Without [Romelu] Lukaku you haven’t got a recognised centre-forward and they need one badly.
“They’ve had injuries, [Paul] Pogba’s currently out, [Anthony] Martial out, Wan-Bissaka currently out, Luke Shaw’s out.
“We’ve seen at Man City with [Leroy] Sane not playing [Kevin] De Bruyne not playing, [Aymeric] Laporte not playing [Vincent] Kompany has gone off to mess it up at Anderlecht, not playing.
“All of sudden, doesn’t matter how good Pep Guardiola is, their results have gone down and it is the same over at Manchester United.
“I think they need to give him time, at least two windows, [with the next one] coming in January to sign some players if they can afford them and clubs are willing to sell in January or wait until the end of the season and get two, three, four or five players in.
“Only then should he be judged on what he’s doing and not now.”
Reports this week have linked both Julian Nagelsmann and Massimiliano Allegri with the Old Trafford hot-seat as the board evaluate their options.
Solskjaer faces a nigh-on must-win clash against bitter rivals Liverpool next Sunday when the Premier League returns from the international break.
Failure to beat the table-topping Reds would cast serious doubt over his future heading into trips to Partizan Belgrade and Norwich.