Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
We’ve got our Manchester United back thanks to Ole. Just give him the job NOW
HUMBLE pie doesn’t always taste this good, but let’s put it out there – I was wrong about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Only last month I was saying Manchester United should wait until the end of the season before deciding whether to make their interim manager a permanent appointment.
But after the incredible drama in Paris on Wednesday night, there is no point in denying the undeniable.
Solskjaer deserves the job – and United should give it to him NOW.
The players were chanting his name after the incredible win against Paris Saintgermain, where they became the first team in Champions League history to lose the first leg of a knockout tie at home by two goals and still go through.
And I understand Sir Alex Ferguson was in their dressing room, congratulating the players, for the first time since he retired six years ago.
Just imagine being a young player enjoying that result and you are joined by greatness personified to share the celebrations.
Whether or not you support United, there was something extra special about the miracle at the Parc des Princes.
For me, it was their greatest night in Europe apart from the three occasions when they lifted the European Cup. Even better than the comebacks against Juventus in 1999 and Barcelona 35 years ago.
It felt like the night when we got the real Manchester United back. And it made me wonder how on earth Ole has turned it round in just nine weeks.
Just before Christmas, I said it was a shambles that Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in the world, should have to resort to sacking their manager in mid-season and making an interim appointment to hold the fort.
I admit Solskjaer’s managerial record in his brief reign at Cardiff did not fill me with optimism or make me think he would transform United’s fortunes. I was wrong about that as well.
But as much as
I am delighted to see the way he has tapped into the club’s DNA, it does make me wonder who should be more embarrassed about the events which preceded this transformation.
Did the players stop playing for Jose Mourinho or was his brand of football simply way out of kilter with Manchester United’s tradition for flair and enterprise?
Either way, I don’t go along with the theory that any of the club’s legends could just have walked in and turned it around overnight. I’m not having that.
Solskjaer has done more than simply put an arm around his players and
put a smile on people’s faces. He has brought back Fergie’s old coaching lieutenant Mike Phelan, which was a masterstroke.
He has won at Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal and now Paris Saint-germain. That’s not down to luck.
He organised a squad with an average age of just 22 into one of the bravest, most disciplined performances they have ever produced in the Champions League.
He has not bleated about injuries, fixture pile-ups or anything else. He has been a breath of fresh air.
He has reinvigorated Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof – £200million worth of talent that was rapidly declining in value. Now they look worth every penny of the fees Mourinho paid for them.
And at PSG, United returned to their heritage – heavy investment in developing young talent – by finishing the game with four academy graduates on the pitch... Marcus Rashford, Scott Mctominay, Mason Greenwood and Tahith Chong.
A fifth, Andreas Pereira, also played a big part in a monumental performance.
Amid one of the most expensively assembled squads in the world, Solskjaer still found room to reunite a club with its roots.
That has to be one of the brightest lookouts for the club’s long-term health. Kids coming through the system now will believe there is a pathway to the first team.
I’ll always remember the miracle of the Parc des Princes. It’s the first time I’ve seen my son Charlie, who’s at the United academy, leaping around the kitchen in excitement.
Give Ole the job now. The fans have got their Manchester United back.