United sing Ole after Paris feat
Solskjaer tipped for full-time position
London – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s name is inseparable from Manchester United’s history of late drama in the Champions League and his latest astonishing feat against Paris Saint-Germain will surely secure him the permanent manager’s job at Old Trafford.
No team in the history of the European Cup had gone through after losing the first leg 2-0 at home.
Yet United under Solskjaer are no ordinary team, even when shorn of the talismanic Paul Pogba through suspension and nine other first-team players due to injury.
Romelu Lukaku’s first-half double laid the foundations for a famous 3-1 win against PSG at the Parc de Princes on Wednesday as United progressed to the quarterfinals on away goals.
But Pogba’s absence meant it was left to 21-year-old Marcus Rashford to land the decisive blow from the penalty spot to complete the comeback deep into stoppage time – 20 years after Solskjaer won the Champions League for United against Bayern Munich in Barcelona.
“There was pressure on the boy but there were no nerves whatsoever. Fearless,” said Solskjaer of his prodigy.
“With this club, this is what we do. That’s just Man United.”
In the whirlwind three months since the Norwegian was drafted in after Jose Mourinho’s sacking to oversee the Red Devils until the end of the season, it is easy to forget that this is not what United have done in the six years since Solskjaer’s mentor, Alex Ferguson, retired.
Inflicting another year of Champions League pain on a star-laden PSG is all the more remarkable as United had won just one knockout game in the competition since 2011.
The aggressive, attackminded, ambitious football that Solskjaer played under Ferguson and has tried to instil in his own side was not on show. Instead, with so many key players missing, the rookie manager showed an adaptability and tactical acumen that proved he is more than just a cheerleader. –