Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker believes that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should be thankful that Mauricio Pochettino opted to take the Paris Saint-Germain job.

The former Tottenham Hotspur manager was regarded as one of the favourites for the Old Trafford hotseat at the back end of last year, when Solskjaer's position was being called into question after United's Champions League exit.

However, Pochettino returned to the Parc des Princes with PSG instead of another stint in the Premier League, and Parker believes that Solskjaer should be "grateful" that his managerial rival did not come after his role.

In quotes attributed to The Mirror, Parker said: "The way things are going I really think Solskjaer should be grateful Pochettino got the job at PSG.

"And it would be a lot worse for him the way United have been playing lately if there were fans in the stadiums – they've been shocking. Some fans might not have expected United to stay top of the table but in a season when anything can happen, why not?

"The slide has just proved United are lacking the quality in midfield, wide areas and attack to make them title contenders. But they still should be doing a lot better with a squad that's not really been hit by many injuries.

"The way results have gone lately, the poor performances and no goals in their last three games, I'd think Solskjaer should be looking over his shoulder. It just isn't good enough and I don't see United making the progress that he sees."

United head into Sunday's derby with runaway leaders Manchester City following a drab 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace in midweek, and the Red Devils are 14 points behind Pep Guardiola's men after 27 Premier League matches.