Following a fantastic streak as caretaker manager, Manchester United chose Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their permanent boss on the 28th of March 2019, to the delight of many fans. But following the appointment, the Red Devils’ results took a turn for the worse, and with them went much of the love for Soskjaer.
They finished sixth in the Premier League that season, and despite the Norwegian manager having caught up many points on most of the teams ahead of him since taking on the job, there were still calls for his sacking. Although he is yet to get the boot, there are still many supporters who want the Norwegian out of Old Trafford, even with all of the success that his Manchester United tenure has brought so far.
Why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United Tenure So Far is a Success Story
A Work In Progress
The Manchester United team is by no means a finished product, and it was even less so when Solskjaer took over.
Older players like Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young were still playing fairly prominent parts in the team, and others nowhere near the standard required to challenge for a title made regular appearances. Not only were these individuals not good enough to make up a successful United side, but they were taking up much of the wage budget due to their experience. Since then, Solskjaer has gone a long way to fixing this issue, but it is not complete.
The way that the former striker has gone about rectifying this problem should provide hope to fans, though, not fuel them with empty arguments as to why he should be sacked.
Great Transfers During His Manchester United Tenure
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made some exceptional transfers since becoming manager, in both signings and sales.
Among the ‘deadwood’ which have departed are players like Romelu Lukaku, Matteo Darmian, and Antonio Valencia.
These players’ wages were costly, and they took places in the team which could have been occupied by younger, more exciting and skilful players. Since the sale of Lukaku, for example, both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have come into their own, with many more opportunities to show their worth as first-choice attackers.
Similarly, Solskjaer’s additions to the squad have been magnificent. Last summer, he brought Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, and Daniel James into the side, and all three have impressed.
Wan-Bissaka has been a truly outstanding right-back, with an impeccable defensive game, and is rapidly improving going forwards.
Maguire has also been great, making the centre of United’s defence much more solid than in previous seasons.
Finally, James has been one of the biggest surprises. Having played extremely well for Swansea City last season, and a move to Leeds United falling through at the last minute, the Red Devils snapped him up in the summer for a small fee of £15 million. The young Welshman has since managed to play well week in week out at the Theatre of Dreams and is currently the Red Devils’ top assist maker for the season.
Then, in January, Solskjaer acquired Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon, who has had a marvellous influence on the squad and managed to secure Odion Ighalo on loan, who has been thus far successful despite the move having seemed laughable at the time of its completion.
These are all vastly successful moves in the transfer marketer, and it doesn’t even include such successful loan spells as those of Chris Smalling and Dean Henderson.
Youth Development
Finally, the Norwegian has played an enormous role in the development of promising youth players.
Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams have both burst onto the scene this season due to Solskjaer’s liberal stance on playing inexperienced individuals and are now regulars in the senior team. And, James Garner and Tahith Chong are among the many promising talents on the verge of a first-team breakthrough thanks to the manager’s tutelage.
Moreover, Solskjaer has contributed to the wonderful development of established starters like Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and Paul Pogba.
All of these are vital steps towards rebuilding the team which he has taken to perfection, meaning that surely Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United tenure so far has been a success story.
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