Under normal circumstances, in Manchester United's post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be in trouble. Nine games to go, fifth in the table and three points adrift of the top four would normally have the Glazers' trigger finger twitching.
Every manager employed since Ferguson retired in 2013 has been allowed to stay only as long as they kept the club in the Champions League. David Moyes lasted 10 months and was axed 48 hours after it became mathematically impossible to finish fourth. Louis van Gaal finished fourth in his first season and survived, but was fired a year later after finishing fifth.