Robin van Persie has questioned what exactly Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's philosophy is at Manchester United.
The Red Devils have struggled this season so far as they sit 14th in the Premier League.
Goals have been a problem for Solskjaer's men, with just ten league goals scored in nine matches.
When the pressure is on United to open up a solid defensive unit, Solskjaer's side have been left wanting in defeats against Crystal Palace, West Ham and Newcastle.
"They have had a rough start. Everyone can see that they are struggling. Playing out from the back has not been good," Van Persie told BT Sport ahead of the Europa League clash at Partizan Belgrade. "When they can sit back, like against Liverpool, I think it suits them better.
"Did Solskjaer really say that he wants to build from the back? It's a little bit too unclear for me. If you look at (Jurgen) Klopp and Pep (Guardiola), it's clear what they want."
But despite questioning Solskjaer's methods somewhat, Van Persie insists that the Norwegian needs time to truly take full ownership of his squad after returning to the club last December following Jose Mourinho's exit.
"The thing with Solskjaer is it's not his team. It's a mix of (David) Moyes, (Louis) Van Gaal and (Jose) Mourinho's. He needs time," Van Persie added.
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I respect RVP a lot but here he is lost. It's clear what Ole wants to do, but ask yourself, does he have the right players to employ his philosophy? the answer is no. Oles three signings are all hinting in the direction he wants to go...1) repair the leaky defence ( this he has succeeded in doing) by bringing in Wan Bissaka and Maguire, 2) add speed to the attack ( Dan James is the first piece of the puzzle... 3) Ole has spoken about the desire to bring in extra fore power to the attack, meaning he is sure to bring in a CF and a RW, also by Playing Martial in the CF role he is making his point clear, a mobile forward who is skillful enough to beat players one on one,very lethal against teams who sit back and defend and also deadly on the counter. his formation hints to a no10 role and you can see him trying out players like Lindgard, Pereira, Mata and Gomes in that role... this hints that he wants a more midfield dominant team, with a playmaker capable of breaking down defences and feeding the strikers, he wants flow and flare that a traditional no10 can provide. all his tactics are inclusive of this role meaning it's key to his philosophy. he is not out there to build a counter attacking team or defensive team or to build from the back as RVP thinks, he wants to bring back the Manchester United we all know and love, quick, slick, flare and dynamic with brilliance in attack... RVP is right about one thing, the current squad is too much of a mix, Ole needs the chance to build his own