Unless you have been living under a rock for the past two months you will have noticed the current form that Manchester United are in. Ole Gunnar Solskjær was appointed as caretaker manager of the club on the 19th December 2018 and has since guided the previously underperforming squad to 10 wins and 1 draw in 11 games. An impressive run of form has allowed Manchester United to claw their way back into the top four and I’m not expecting them to give up that spot to Chelsea or Arsenal who currently trail them by one point.
It begs the question of what was Jose Mourinho doing wrong? Solskjær seems to have reassured the players of how good they are and that has allowed them to perform when it matters most. More specifically Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, the latter seems to have finally been given a proper chance and he is certainly taking it with six goals and two assists in the 10 games he has featured in. In his first full month in charge Solskjær was rewarded with Premier League manager of the month for January.
Despite this magnificent form and transformation from what was a dire start to the season with regards to the standards set for the club, Ole Gunnar Solskjær is yet to be given the job on a permanent basis. In my opinion there can only be two things that are perhaps delaying Solskjær’s appointment indefinitely.
Can Solskjær land his dream job?
Firstly, whilst this is a magnificent run of form you could argue that the majority of these games are matches that Manchester United should expect to win by normal standards. Impressive away wins at Spurs and Arsenal is what will be making the United board’s decision that little bit more difficult. Some have argued that to go in and steady the ship with wins against the likes of Cardiff, Huddersfield and Bournemouth was not too difficult but it is not easy to play away at Spurs & Arsenal and to come away with 3 points (or advance to the next round of the FA Cup).
Secondly, Ole Gunnar Solskjær is still contracted to Norwegian side Molde FK until 2021 after extending his inital contract just 2 weeks before being appointed as caretaker manager at Manchester United. Speaking with The Daily Mail the Molde FK director Oystein Neerland said “The deal is until May 12. That is our Plan A and our Plan B. We have no Plan C, we have only spoken to Manchester United about this period. Nothing else. I’m staying with this plan”. With the complications around this it may take time to negotiate a deal for the club to allow Solskjær to leave.
With a huge match at Old Trafford against PSG tonight victory would surely convince those that are still doubting him. It would make so much sense for Glazer and Woodward to give Molde whatever they want to be able to keep Solskjær at the helm. The players believe in him, they agree with his ways and it is clearly evident on the pitch that they enjoy playing for him. He has a long connection with the club and knows exactly what is expected at the club, something that hasn’t been achieved for many seasons now.
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