While football may be suspended due to the Coronavirus, it still lives on within the media, and there have been several Manchester United players past and present to give their verdict on current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in recent times, following an exceptional run of form since the signing of Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes.
Multiple Manchester United Players Give Their Verdict on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Rollercoaster Ride of a Managerial Tenure so far
Solskjaer’s tenure at United has seen many ups and downs.
Starting as a caretaker manager in place of recently sacked Jose Mourinho, the reason for Solskjaer’s appointment was his understanding of the club’s values as a former player. Despite this, there was no intention of bringing him in on a permanent basis, with Mauricio Pochettino among the many high-profile names linked to the job. A dramatic upturn in results and improved player morale saw Solskjaer signed as the new manager on a three-year contract.
Since his becoming permanent boss at Old Trafford, Solskjaer has not experienced the same success which earned him the job. Finishing sixth in 2018/19 was a disappointment, and this campaign has been rocky too.
However, there are a plethora of positives to take from his reign in the North of England. For one, his willingness to take the risk of allowing young players a chance in the first-team has paid dividends, seeing the incredible rises of both Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams. Moreover, his nurturing has seen vast improvements in players like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. And, his signings have all turned into resounding successes. Harry Maguire has been a consistently quality feature in defence, Aaron Wan-Bissaka has provided unparalleled quality at right-back; a position which United had struggled to fill since the time of Gary Neville, Daniel James has defied all expectations as a very energetic, pacey outlet on the wing, and Bruno Fernandes has had a fantastic impact on the team as a whole, with the Red Devils unbeaten since his debut.
What United Players Past and Present Think About Solskjaer
Most recently, Matteo Darmian, who left United last summer to return to his native Italy, spoke in an interview with The Guardian about Solskjaer. “I can only speak well about Solskjaer, believe me, I would give him a long-term contract. He’s a very prepared coach and Manchester United has started this project, this journey, with many young players, many British players and they will continue with this project. Because of the person I got to know, I hope Solskjaer has success at the club.”
In-form midfielder Fred also had praise for the Norwegian. The Brazilian spoke to UOL Esporte about his manager, saying that “Solskjaer is our teacher and does a good job. He is young and growing every day. He learned a lot and will grow as a coach and person. The day to day is great and he is very important for the team, as he was as a player in the history of the club.”
Finally, former fullback Rafael gave his verdict on Solskjaer in an interview about the manager’s time so far with United. “I love Ole. I love the person he is and the manager he is. Of course, there is a lot still to do but I think he’s doing it the right way” the Brazilian told ESPN. “He’s a person who loves Manchester United and he’s going to do everything to help the club. I saw it when I was with him when he coached me and it is important. He’s a guy who is going to think about Manchester United first rather than himself. A lot of coaches are never going to do that, they are going to think about them and after about the club.”
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