Manchester United have become a side that resemble the famous Red Devils from Sir Alex Ferguson’s time at the club. The fight and desire of the players on the pitch, brushing teams aside with intense attacking football and ruthless finishing, is like nothing under Jose Mourinho and the fans have Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to thank. However, he’s not a dead cert for the job in the summer.
In truth, the Norwegian’s managerial career up until now had been an extremely lacklustre one. When the baby-faced assassin first turned up in English football with his coaching badges at Cardiff City he was a huge flop. He took over the Bluebirds after the disgraced Malky Mackay was sacked, and despite them hanging above the drop zone upon Solskjaer’s appointment, they went on win just three from 18 in the league and drop from 17th to 20th.
Since that fateful season in Wales, Solskjaer has been working his way back and tuning his managerial skills in his native Norway with Molde. When the Old Trafford job came up on a temporary basis after Jose Mourinho’s dismissal, the former Manchester United favourite was more than ready to show that his time at Cardiff was just a blip and that he was finally ready to make a name for himself in management.
So far, that has been exactly what he’s done. Whilst the rumours continue to circle that Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane will be coming in for the job in the summer, you cannot count Solskjaer out of the running. The results, performances and feeling around Old Trafford have improved ten-fold since the Norwegian’s appointment, and not only has he lifted the players, but he’s lifted the fans.
When the summer comes around, Ed Woodward will have a tough decision to make, however, if he opts against giving the Norwegian interim man the full-time gig then Solskjaer shouldn’t view it as another managerial failure. If anything, he’s revived the career in English football that everyone thought was dead when he left Cardiff, and whether he stays in England or not, as soon as becomes unemployed the 45-year-old will be a wanted man.
Any European club worth their salt will be taking a long hard look at the former goal-machine, and you can’t blame them. In his time as head honcho at Old Trafford, the Norwegian is yet to lose a game. In his 11 games in charge he’s won ten and drawn one, with eight of those coming in the Premier League and two in the FA Cup, barring a tough away trip to face Tottenham at Wembley, though, he’s yet to be seriously tested.
The Red Devils’ upcoming Champions League clash with PSG was one that looked like a write-off under Jose Mourinho, yet the fans are now eagerly anticipating that clash and have high hopes of progression, similarly in the Premier League Old Trafford has become a hub of optimism where a place in the top four is now a realistic target. All of these changes are because of one man, and even if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fails to become the permanent Manchester United manager, there will be clubs lining up for him.
If Solskjaer can get through the real tests of PSG in the Champions League and the upcoming Premier League clashes against Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City without any major embarrassments, then he will have proved himself. This summer could be a huge one for the Old Trafford boss, even if he doesn’t hold that title come to the end of it.
