My former teammate getting the Manchester United job was brilliant for him, and don’t be surprised if he makes a success of itI was a Norway teammate of Ole Gunnar Solskjær but now I am head of coaching education for the Norwegian football federation and it was absolutely marvellous and brilliant – as well as really surprising – that he got the offer to be Manchester United temporary manager last December. Related: Ole Gunnar Solskjær needs to be more than high priest of Fergianity | Jonathan Wilson Twitter: follow us at @guardian_sport Related: I feel so privileged to be Manchester United manager, says Solskjær Continue reading...
Manchester United’s new permanent manager has calmed nerves and brought back the spirit of 1999 but is inexperiencedBackwards, then, to a glorious future. Where change has failed, let there be continuity. After six years of churn and unconvincing change, Manchester United in appointing Ole Gunnar Solskjær on a permanent basis have turned not merely to an icon of their past but to a manager who seems determined to be a conduit for that past. Let there be progress through history. Let it always be 1999.It is a popular move and, on the face of it, a good one. Solskjær has transformed this season. Yet Ed Woodward’s track record is such that every time he takes a decision the instinct is...
Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s Manchester United return has prompted debate about the qualities of former players as managers – and German academics may have an answerJust how exceptional a manager is Ole Gunnar Solskjær? For all the praise lavished on the likeable Norwegian, I remain glued to the fence. Don’t get me wrong. He’s clearly doing well. It’s just that it is fiendishly tricky to separate the upturn in Manchester United’s mood and form since he took over – as reflected by that spectacular feat of alchemy in Paris – with the obvious fact that any club with that much money and world-class players should be winning most of their matches. Related: Nurture and nature the keynotes as Solskjær displays complete...
Caretaker manager has returned swagger and sense of purpose to United and his transformation of Lukaku and co is startling“The game is all about confidence, like most other things in life,” Sir Alex Ferguson once said. “Without self-belief you won’t achieve anything.” If Manchester United are not full to the brim with confidence as they travel to Arsenal on Sunday it is hard to imagine when they ever will be. The only blot on Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s copybook since taking over from José Mourinho was the initial Champions League defeat by Paris Saint-Germain, and now that setback has been overcome against all expectation there is a case for arguing that United can still regard themselves undefeated under their new manager.If...
Manchester United’s interim manager gets what his club are all about – offering hope, excitement and a sense of belongingAt the final whistle inside the Parc des Princes, Manchester United’s players started running, haring across in a ragged, joyful cavalry charge towards the narrow band of their supporters at the far end.Shirts were pulled off and hurled in the air. Scott McTominay did a European-record triple jump through the centre circle. Halfway there Chris Smalling looked down, noticed he still had the ball in his hands and hoofed it so high into the air it’s probably still up there in the Paris skies, surfing on the weird voodoo of that moment. Related: Manchester United rock PSG, plus Football Leaks –...