As Gary Neville predicted, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would during the international break get the permanent contract signed and that happened. Solskjaer has signed a three year deal and can prepare for life in one of the top jobs in football.
His tally of wins is phenomenal and to lose to Wolves in the FA Cup can be a great blessing in disguise. Manchester United might have failed in all three, going forward, but with only two competitions to compete in, it will be possible to get the rest needed to find the perfect end to the season.
He has given players freedom and showed that he trusts them in their choices on the field and of course a number of his wins especially away to Arsenal in the FA Cup and the fantastic achievement in Paris is enough to secure the job, and winning those games predicted for Manchester United to win makes them a clear candidate to finish top four which is probably most important.
The job is to really shape the squad and get the best players in. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has shown at Molde that he was capable of finding talent and bringing players forward, selling them, staying in the top and be competetive. Of course, as Man Utd, Molde was a team just like Man Utd, fighting in the top, despite having a few set backs, as Man Utd have experienced. “Ollie” managed to fix those problems and getting the ship back on track after a terrible start, so he can do this and has the quality to turning things around.
The key for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is getting the best of those he have and not be to eager to change too much, something very different to Norwegian football. In his first reign as manager of Molde, Solskjaer showed some of the same skills as he has done at Man Utd, taking Molde to the top, with no such previous experiences.
He has also pinpointed talent an brought them in and really being able to get this balance perfect and build new teams over and over. This is of course at a much lower leavel. The gap between Man Utd and Molde is huge, but the Norwegian club is a major club in Norway and has been in Europe and Solskjaer’s experience from that competition should not be faulted.
In Norwegian football you have much more rotation in squads and you must be able to bring in the right talent at the right time, something Solskjaer did in the best way possible, being able to balance the logistic of the squad and keeping the team in the top.
Of course if you look at previous people trying to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson, there are high expectations, but in a way with a legendary status as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has among fans, staff and the fact that he has been a coach at the club in the past. He has the DNA and Manchester United in his blood and that certainly is a help.
So this is why the new man has been appointed and hopefully he will be able to take on the challenge. Solskjaer is 46 years of age, no youngster anymore. Sir Alex Ferguson was also 44 when he took over at Old Trafford. Sir Matt Busby was only 35 when he took charge, so he age should not be to worry about.
So why has he been appointed at this point,
- Results are fantastic
- Previous experience from winning Championships
- He’s got Man Utd in his blood
- Smiling and always positive
- His work at Molde should not be faulted
- Able to prepare next season in the best way possible
- Still in whit a lot of compete about
- Fans love him
We wish Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all the best in the new life as manager of Manchester United.