ASK GIGGS… THIS WILL BE NO EASY JOB

‘I have told them to go out there and give the fans something to shout about. Entertain them, score goals, make tackles, play with speed, play with tempo.’

Ryan Giggs, April 25, 2014

SO here we are back on safer ground. Back in the hands of someone who knows, someone who understands it.

Four and a half years ago it was Ryan Giggs, attempting to shake the fear from the legs of players inherited from the muddled David Moyes.

This time, it’s another Alex Ferguson graduate and the message from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is roughly the same — ‘I want to see the players express themselves,’ he said.

United’s players have expressed themselves recently, it just hasn’t been on the field.

Paul Pogba and Antonio Valencia made their feelings clear about Jose Mourinho on social media, Alexis Sanchez by taking a flight to Chile and staying there. Finally, at the start of this week, their messages were received and understood by the Manchester United board.

Now it is time to remind us what they are capable of on the field of play and that is Solskjaer’s big challenge.

Giggs found out that it took a little more than emotive rhetoric and talk of tips picked up from Ferguson, another of Solskjaer’s reference points yesterday.

United won their first game of Giggs’ spell 4-0 against Norwich and also beat Hull City at home. But in between there was a defeat at Sunderland and then, finally, a closing draw at Southampton that was no better than much of the mundanity that had preceded it.

Solskjaer has rather longer to make his mark but his immediate objectives are very much the same. He must enable a broken group of players to perform freely again, reconnect with their supporters and win.

It will certainly be more difficult than it looks. By current Premier League standards — set by Manchester City and Liverpool — United have a squad deficient in many areas.

If there was cricket-style IPL auction for the likes of Fellaini, Young, Jones, Lindelof, Mata, Herrera, Matic and Darmian today, how many big clubs would even bother to bid?

This is the real scale of the decline at United and it will certainly take more than Solskjaer’s shy smile, selfdeprecating wit and playing credentials to dry out the rot.

The 45-year-old, a little greyer these days, has been handed a huge asset with the return of Mike Phelan as assistant. It is not hard to sense the hand of Ferguson in that one and Phelan will bring good coaching, tactical nous and grounded realism to smooth the frayed edges caused by Mourinho’s self-obsessed bombast.

It would be unwise for United to spend heavily in January. Much as the squad needs work, that should be left to the next permanent manager. United have fallen foul of short-term fixes too often of late.

No, Solskjaer’s task needs to be more pastoral and it would appear he understands that. The Norwegian’s job is to guide this squad towards the end of the season without further suffering. The Champions League places already look out of reach.

‘I am here to help,’ said Solskjaer. ‘It is about man management, it’s about good communication. I am here to help the players and the team.’

Solskjaer is tougher than his image suggests. He is in Manchester for a reason. He wants the big job and if not that, something else back in the league where he made his name.

But just by putting his team’s interests ahead of his own, he is an upgrade on the Lowry Hotel’s recently departed resident. United is a club that needs some balm and some calm. Solskjaer and Phelan will understand that, even if the meaningful change at Old Trafford must wait until next summer.