REVEALED: How senior players went to plead Ole’s case to the top men at Old Trafford
Several of United’s senior stars told club bosses before Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Tottenham that the Norwegian remained the right man for the job at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer had been feeling the heat ahead of the game following a run of just four wins from the opening 14 league games.
Reports even claimed he would be sacked if United lost to Jose Mourinho’s men and champions Manchester City in tomorrow’s crunch derby at the Etihad.
But Solskjaer remains hugely popular among his players and some of his star names went to senior figures at the club to make it clear that he still had their full backing and support.
A club source said: “There’s no doubt the squad are still desperate to do well for the manager.There is a strong feeling towards him and some of them wanted to make this clear.”
It showed in the performance against Spurs, with United producing one of their best displays of the season to make it a miserable return to Old Trafford for Mourinho.
United executive vicechairman Ed Woodward has no plans to sack Solskjaer and is prepared to give him as much time as he needs to make the team successful again.
Solskjaer has turned his attention to building on the Spurs win when United make the short trip across town to face Pep Guardiola’s reigning champions.
United go into the showdown as underdogs, but goalkeeper David De Gea has backed them to take down their neighbours and further dent their title chances.
De Gea believes United have a chance if they can take the form they produced against Spurs into the game at the Etihad.
The Spaniard said: “We controlled the game really well. It’s a massive win for us and let’s see if we can keep this level up and keep winning.
“It’s a special game against Manchester City – the derby. Let’s see if we can win there. It’s a tough game, but if we show the same as we did against Spurs, we will have chances to win.”
Solskjaer, meanwhile, is still sweating on the fitness of Paul Pogba.
The France midfielder has been sidelined since September with an ankle problem, but has returned to training and will be given as long as possible to make himself available.
However, Solskjaer is mindful of the possibility of a further setback and is not prepared to risk the World Cup winner if there are still nagging doubts about him.