Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has come under much scrutiny since signing as Manchester United boss over two years ago, with the Norwegian becoming something of a divisive figure among the Red Devils’ fanbase despite his club legend status. He is yet to win a trophy as the manager at Old Trafford, and seems to lack managerial experience at the top of the game. Despite this, Solskjaer’s Manchester United squad has come a long way since he first took over, and the progress that he has made is becoming too prominent to be ignored.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Manchester United Progress Too Emminent to Be Ignored
Personnel Improvements
Personnel improvements have been made both on and off the pitch since Solskjaer took the helm at the Theatre of Dreams.
In terms of his squad, United have come a long way since his tenure commenced in December of 2018. Between previous manager Jose Mourinho‘s last match and Solskjaer’s first, starters included Phil Jones, Ashley Young, and Matteo Darmian. None of these three have made a Premier League appearance for United within the last year, while only one remains at the club. Further, only three of those who started in Mourinho’s last game in charge have survived to remain as first-team regulars in Solskjaer’s current side, with two – Victor Lindelof and David de Gea – having to fight hard for their respective places.
Specifically, Solskjaer has worked wonders in the transfer market, something which his post-Sir Alex Ferguson predecessors have failed to do.
United captain Harry Maguire was signed during Solskjaer’s first summer window and has become a mainstay in the Red Devils’ backline. He has not yet missed a single minute of Premier League football since his move to Manchester, with his constant presence giving consistency to the United defence, something which they lacked prior to the former Leicester City man’s arrival.
Furthermore, Bruno Fernandes, who joined in January 2020, has proven to be one of the best signings in recent memory at Old Trafford. He regularly produces direct goal involvements, with 41 from 43 league appearances since his move, and his influence on the team has been astounding. Not only does his individual brilliance make him an invaluable asset, so too does his impact on the performances of others. In a December 2020 fixture against West Ham United, for instance, Fernandes came on at half-time and turned the game around. A United team that looked dejected during the first 45 minutes suddenly appeared confident and prepared to fight for victory with the Portuguese midfielder’s introduction.
There have also been major changes to the backroom staff at Old Trafford over the past year, no doubt overseen by Solskjear. A restructuring took place earlier in March 2021, seeing John Murtough appointed the Red Devils’ first director of football and Darren Fletcher made the club’s technical director. This takes the onus of footballing decisions off of vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who had previously received much criticism for his handling of such matters.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Has Many Managerial Strengths
Other than notable additions to the squad and coaching staff, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has also used his own managerial strengths to improve the United side.
In particular, the Norwegian boss has been hailed for his man-management skills. This can be broken into two categories, one being the manner in which he has dealt with current senior players, while the other is how he has overseen the first-team breakthroughs of various youngsters.
One player who, thanks to Solskjaer, has become undroppable for the Red Devils of late is Luke Shaw. The English left-back became something of an outcast under Jose Mourinho but has greatly impressed during the Norwegian manager’s tenure, recently speaking in an interview with Sky Sports on how Solskjaer helped to bring out the best in him. In the former United striker’s first season at the helm, Shaw won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award, and has continued to move upwards from there.
Solskjaer expertly promoted academy player Brandon Williams to the senior side when Shaw suffered from a muscular injury towards the end of 2019, and the then-19-year-old impressed, earning himself a position in the first-team squad. Shaw thrived on the competition that Williams provided, and, observing this, Solskjaer signed left-back Alex Telles in the subsequent summer transfer window. Since the Brazilian’s move to Manchester, Shaw has become arguably the best full-back in the league, and continues to prove his importance to the side with regular goal contributions.
Once labelled as the “worst signing in the club’s history”, Fred was another player to struggle under Mourinho. Towards the middle of last season, however, Solskjaer started to play him in a midfield pivot with Scott McTominay, and their partnership has flourished ever since. The pair are now United’s go-to midfield selection, and it has been a challenge for the likes of new signing Donny van de Beek to interrupt that flow.
Moreover, Solskjaer has proven on multiple occasions that he is adept at bringing youngsters into the first-team. Thirteen players from the United academy have been handed their debuts under Solskjaer, and some have even gone on to become regular starters for the Norwegian while still in their teens.
One such talent is Mason Greenwood, who burst onto the world stage last year. Solskjaer dealt with his breakthrough superbly, even at the start of this season when the 19-year-old struggled with an incident while on international duty and the death of a close friend. United have now been rewarded with a fantastic, somewhat undroppable player, thanks to Solskjaer’s managerial prowess.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has come under much criticism for his tactics while managing the Red Devils, but this has proven on multiple occasions to be a weak argument. The Old Trafford side beat Manchester City earlier this month, the first team to do so since mid-November, largely due to Solskjaer’s adept approach to the game. He went into it looking to outdo the Citizens with high intensity, counter-attacking football, and it worked superbly, with the Reds emerging with an assured 2-0 victory.
Furthermore, during his managerial career, Solskjaer has accomplished highly impressive achievements that often get overlooked. His first season in charge of Norwegian side Molde saw him take them to a first league title in their 100-year history. They retained the league the following season, furthering their success by also winning the Norwegian cup.
Upturn in Results
The various improvements that Solskjaer has made at the Theatre of Dreams have not been without tangible gain, either, as the Red Devils have seen a fantastic upturn in results, winning games they previously struggled with and showing real fight in doing so.
United have played 29 games this season, currently sitting in second place with 57 points and a comfortable eight-point cushion in the top-four. At the same point last season, however, they were not in such a promising position, with their point tally of 45 only good enough to land them in fifth. Solskjaer’s side are currently just nine points away from their total for the 2019/20 campaign, with as many matches left to play.
The improvement in league position has come as the Manchester side have started to win games that they previously could not. For example, against Burnley earlier this year, they struggled, as they usually do against defensively organised sides who sit back. Despite having a goal ruled out very harshly, the Reds still managed to scrape a victory, relying on a brilliant volley from Paul Pogba to seal the deal. The two sides had faced off roughly a year previously, but, on that occasion, Burnley were able to exploit United’s weaknesses, winning 2-0 despite the Red Devils’ dominance.
The only thing Solskjaer has left to do to prove his worth is to win a trophy, and with his favourable draw in this season’s Europa League, that could be the perfect competition in which to do so. Even if he does not finish this campaign with a title, though, his progress is now far too great to be ignored, and it is only a matter of time, and a few signings, before United can challenge for the Premier League once more.
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