It looks increasingly likely that he’s there to stay
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has enjoyed an excellent start to his time as Manchester United manager. Since he replaced José Mourinho as caretaker manager at Old Trafford, he has gone nine games unbeaten, winning his first eight and drawing against Burnley.
The contrast between United under Mourinho and Solskjaer’s team, not only with regard to results, but also style of play and general morale around the squad, is immeasurable.
The likes of Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial have finally his a run of form, showing why United invested so much money in them, having struggled to conform to Mourinho’s methods.
Solskjaer’s appointment was made with the short term in mind, as he joined on what is effectively a loan from Norwegian side Molde, but it looks increasingly likely that the former United striker will be there for the long haul.
If the Red Devils continue in this rich vein of form, it will be near impossible for the club to justify not giving him the job on a permanent basis.
And it seems that Molde are more than happy to let Solskjaer flourish at United, after the manager revealed that his old club – or his parent club, if you like – told him not to come back when he was first offered the chance to take the reins at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer said: “When I rang the owner and said that United had called and that he always knew that this had been my dream, he said: ‘Go over, enjoy yourself and please don’t come back.’
“Both owners (Kjell Inge Røkke and Bjørn Rune Gjelsten) wished me all the best because they knew this is something I dreamed about. To get the backing from them was fantastic.”
Solskjaer added: “If I go back to Molde, I will do my best for them but it depends when I go back.”
You’d suspect that deep down he knows he’s more likely to stay in Manchester, given his strong start. But he also admitted he would like to see his family soon, as being apart from them has been “the only downside to the job.”
