Solskjaer yet to put a foot wrong at Reds

THERE is the lift that a new manager provides and then there is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s start to life in the United hot-seat.

The caretaker boss became the first manager in Premier League history to oversee more than ten goals in his first trio of fixtures when United ran riot with a 4-1 win against Bournemouth on Sunday.

The Reds have now notched 12 goals on Solskjaer’s watch and, if they continue at the same rate, then the 29 scored in Jose Mourinho’s 17 league games this season will be surpassed by the time United play Leicester on February 3 – in the space of four games.

That is fanciful, of course, but we are reaching a point now where Solskjaer’s faultless guidance of this team requires a more genuine endorsement than a patronising pat on the back.

The contrast between the dour displays under Mourinho and the vibrant, energetic showings that Solskjaer has plotted goes beyond the consequence of a nudge in the right direction, and the evidence provided in the wins against Cardiff, Huddersfield and Bournemouth suggests that Solskjaer is putting into place what David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho could not.

The culture change has been palpable at Old Trafford and it would be far from surprising to see United fare well when the real tests come against Tottenham in January, and Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain in February.

A perfect storm is developing at the club, regardless, and there is the chance to cement the notion that a ruthlessness has returned to the club in the eminently winnable fixtures against Newcastle, Brighton, Burnley in January, before February games against Leicester, Fulham and Crystal Palace.

The most frustrating trait of Mourinho’s United side was the negligent performances against sides in the bottom half of the Premier League table, and the belittling of Solskjaer’s victories to date might overlook the fact that Mourinho’s side would have been comfortable top-four contenders if it were not for persistent blips against seemingly lesser teams – see Brighton, Wolves and Crystal Palace this season – earlier in the campaign. There will be trips and stumbles along the way, of course, but positivity is a powerful tool and United’s forward line certainly look to thrive on it. It was perhaps easy to overlook the talent at Mourinho’s disposal, particularly going forward, in light of the negative tactics deployed by the Portuguese but a healthy sprinkling of Solskjaer infused magic has given Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Romelu Lukaku a platform. Dan O’Toole