Man United has officially announced the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the manager at Old Trafford on a permanent deal.
Early on Thursday, Man United released the news they have finally reached an agreement with caretaker manager Ole Gunnar to become the recognised fulltime boss at the club. His deal will keep him at Old Trafford till the year 2022, after penning a three-year deal.
Was there ever any doubts? Yes, there certainly were immediately after he was announced as the then caretaker boss. His stint as a manager prior to his United days was one he forgot quickly and one many of United will not want you to mention in his present days.
Time at Cardiff City
His forgettable time at Cardiff City was the stand-alone factor the Old Trafford faithful were up in arms about his appointment back in December. In his Wales task, Ole failed miserably recording only three wins from 18 outings, while conceding a whopping 42 goals.
This ultimately led to his demise and was eventually sacked by the Bluebirds, who also got relegated because of their poor Premier League showing. Ole was with Cardiff back in 2014 and when he became a Bluebird back then, he was too a stroke of controversy. But withdrawn and omitted are those days! After a redemption run of positive results, Ole catches the biggest fish of them all, landing his dream job of being the Man United manager.
How did it get here?
Man United could have dipped in anywhere and acquired any manager. However, it seems the weighing pressures of being a United boss has been too much of a colossal burden for even some of the world’s greatest.
A mediocre employment of David Moyes (hand-picked by Sir Alex Ferguson might I add) was the first signs of derailing. Then came the semi-coma or state of stupor we were left in by Louis van Gaal. Awaken from the horror, the sequel subsequently followed. Jose Mourinho with the title, “Death by football”. It was a sequence of utter disaster. Or not maybe?
Yes, the trophy cabinet filled up but the seats were still getting empty. The Theatre of Dreams no longer had anyone mesmerised by the glory they once witnessed. It was robust, army-like displays which conclusively led to displeasing days for the fans. Something had to change!
💬 - "I saw Louis van Gaal say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's football is the same as Jose Mourinho's. Louis van Gaal's football at @ManUtd was the worst I've ever seen." @GNev2 says the appointment of Solskjaer marks the beginning of a rebuild at the club: https://t.co/sN8sKmWZtd pic.twitter.com/89Xo0aGjbJ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 28, 2019
He was the only man for the job
United was in need of somebody exactly like Sir Alex but who was not Sir Alex, and that was Ole Gunnar. The same set of players deemed “not good enough” by Jose Mourinho are seamlessly the ones collecting the most points since Ole took the wheel.
Out of the top-six Premier League sides, Man United has collected the most points (32) over the last 13 Gunnar games. What more he has accomplished is the best winning streak by a United manager in his first lot of games. He managed to go 6-6; six wins in six games.
The win against PSG alone was the deciding factor, any doubts over Ole’s appointment would have been wide off the mark. He reinstalled a belief and that’s all that was needed. One important ingredient missing that no manager could install after Fergie departed was “The Man United Way”.
Ole has brought it back and has Manchester United looking like a top-six club again.