[ad_pod ]Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may be at the wheel at Manchester United but the wheels are beginning to wobble.Losses to both Arsenal and Wolves, which arrived immediately after the miraculous Champions League comeback in Paris, have been severely damaging for a number of different reasons.The defeat to the Gunners leaves United outside of the top four with just eight games of the season remaining, while their FA Cup humbling by Nuno Espirito Santo's side means they will surely end the campaign trophyless. Yes, they play Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League but, well, they're playing Barcelona.At the end of the day, then, what has Solskjaer achieved?Since replacing Jose Mourinho he has at the very least restored some pride at Old Trafford. A lengthy unbeaten run at the start of his reign came with talk of him being given the job on the spot. That talk grew to deafening roars after United beat PSG.But there is very little to be said for their progress in the league. Mourinho had United in sixth when he was sacked. They are currently one point clear of that mark. It is hardly a ringing endorsement.This is not to devalue the attitude change at the club. Players are clearly enjoying their football again and have been playing with an attacking swagger in several matches. However, Solskjaer has not patched up a porous defence and their struggles were to be expected.On March 7th, a tweet from InfoGol showed that United were outperforming their expected goals average; United should have been scoring 1.89 goals per game but were, in fact, notching 2.29. The same was true at the other end of the pitch.  They should have been conceding 1.26 goals per game - or 17.64 across 14 games - but had, in actuality, let in 0.86 goals per game, or 12 in total.

Part of that is down to the form of goalkeeper David De Gea, one of the finest in his position in world football. But it speaks to the luck that Solskjaer had in his initial run at the club.

The Arsenal game came three days after that tweet was posted; United conceded two goals from three on target at the Emirates. One was a long-range strike from Granit Xhaka that somehow wrong-footed De Gea. It would not have ranked very high on the xG scale. Against Wolves, they were outplayed; United had 11 shots to Wolves' 17 and two on target to the hosts' seven.

Perhaps, then, the reality is catching up with Solskjaer. He has only managed Cardiff City and Molde in the past. The honeymoon period, clearly, is over and United are back to playing the "United Way" that has plagued them since Sir Alex Ferguson left.

The Norwegian is popular, of course, given his history with the club, but he has made no real imprint on the club from a managerial point of view.

If United do not manage to qualify for the Champions League this season, he has achieved the square root of nothing. He will surely be destined to be a pub quiz question answer a few years from now.

As it is, if that sad reality comes to pass, the Red Devils should look towards Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino.

He is well-equipped to run a club with the infrastructure and budget of United; would you, as a fan, realistically hand Solskjaer the keys to a war chest this summer? His recruitment track record is untested and there should be serious reservations about allowing him any say in transfer dealings.

Pochettino has employed a clear strategy at every club he has been at. He wants players who can promise undying loyalty and also prioritises the promotion of young players at the expense of senior stars. Like Solskjaer, you can bet your bottom dollar that the Argentine understands exactly what United need. Unlike Solskjaer, you would back him to go and get it.

It must be said that it would be incredibly difficult for United to extricate Pochettino from Spurs, where he is carefully constructing his own legacy.

It cannot be guaranteed that Pochettino would drop that to move to United but he would surely be interested in the prospect of replacing Solskjaer.

At the end of the day, the hero of 1999 may just be keeping the seat warm.