OLE GETS WHAT UNITED’S ABOUT, HE’LL BRING BACK THE SMILES

I NEVER knew another professional like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. If today he is appointed caretaker manager until the end of the season he will put a smile back on the face of Manchester United fans. He gets the club — and everything that comes with it. Sure, he didn’t have the greatest success as Cardiff City manager back in 2014 but Manchester United have world-class players and he is a man who takes everything in, who learns to get stronger. When you consider the time he used to spend on the bench, then come on to score not just one or two but — on one occasion against Nottingham Forest — even four goals, his concentration levels and his willpower were like no other. United had great strikers then and Ole knew the standard required to get into that team. As Alex Ferguson used to say it always starts with hard work. That’s what he will instil in the current players and that will stand him in good stead coming back to Manchester United. Ole (right) has coached some of these players, including Paul Pogba, before when he was United’s reserve team manager. It might seem strange to some people that he should give up his Norwegian club Molde for a job until the end of the season, but this is a fantastic platform and, at 45, he will want to prove he is a better manager now. No football club ever runs smoothly but when people outside begin to notice — as they did with Jose Mourinho — it is difficult to contain, especially when players don’t perform. Ole can bring a bit of love and confidence back, then hopefully United can start scaring the opposition again.