What we learnt about Norwegian’s United

Pogba can smile

It was his first start since Dec 1 and he looked a little rusty to begin with. But once Paul Pogba got into his rhythm he began to flow. He had obviously been asked to play further forward than under Jose Mourinho and showed far more devil. He took people on, played a key part in the Ander Herrera goal and put in a decent shift. Much more is needed, but at least the new management team got him on the field and playing with a hint of a smile.

Tactical shackles are off

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is an advocate of attacking football and it was noticeable that he freed up his players more than they had been. Ashley Young and Luke Shaw bombed forward and there was much more urgency in getting the ball forward. Unlike when he was at Cardiff, he may have the quality of player to implement his philosophy. It was enough to please the fans, though, and get them chanting their interim manager’s name, rather than pleading for “attack, attack, attack”.

Attitude has improved

If there was a concern that the players weren’t playing for Mourinho, there no evidence of that with the new man. With only a week to work with them, Solskjaer’s only real chance of changing things was in the mental attitude. The players obviously relished the chance to showcase their attacking skills. They started like a train, and never let up. They went for the jugular and put a smile on everyone’s face.

Fans love him

When the United bus pulled up outside Cardiff City Stadium there were a few Bluebird fans who booed Solskjaer as he got off. It was the same when he walked to the dugout, but there was nothing malicious about it. As for the Manchester United fans, they gave him their backing from the off. You are supposed to back your manager, but you got the feeling they meant it this time. There is a genuine bond with the man who played a key role in winning the Champions League for them.

Where now?

As a starting point, things could not have gone much better. Cardiff manager Neil Warnock predicted in the build-up that Solskjaer should win his first four games. Next up are Huddersfield and Bournemouth at Old Trafford and then Newcastle away. Perhaps we will have to wait until United head to Tottenham on Jan 13 to see if Solskjaer has what it takes to turn from the Temporary One into the Permanent One.