Pretoria News

NOW IS THE TIME FOR SOLSKJAER TO SHINE

ESHLIN VEDAN eshlin.vedan@inl.co.za

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer was initially appointed as interim manager of Manchester United in late 2018 following the sacking of Jose Mourinho. After a strong run of results he was awarded the full-time management role by the club.

There have been highs and lows since Solskjaer’s appointment, but the one thing he has achieved is gradual year-on-year growth since his appointment. At the same time, he has not yet won any major silverware.

There is valid justification to defend Solskjaer for not winning trophies. He inherited a side with serious problems which was far from the best in the league.

Positives that Solskjaer has achieved in his time at Old Trafford include leading the club to the deep knockout stages of the Champions League in 2018/19, re-establishing the club as a solid top-four team and leading it to the Europa League final last season.

United took serious steps towards rectifying their problems in the off-season. There now is no valid excuse for Solskjaer not winning major silverware this season, he simply has to do it.

United backed their manager this off-season by bringing in three worldclass players, namely Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

He may be 36 but Ronaldo will still almost assure United of a steady supply of goals this season. Ronaldo may not have the same pace as during his earlier years but he still retains excellent positional awareness to score well-worked tap-ins and a thunderous striking ability which means that fans can expect stunners from him this season.

In Varane, they have a serial winning centre back who presents Harry Maguire with a more reliable partner than Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly who have struggled for consistency in recent seasons.

In Sancho, United have a fast developing and world-class winger who could be a great of the game in a few years’ time.

The squad may lack an extra central midfielder but it is now one that can win trophies.

United opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 loss against BSC Young Boys this week. Their errors were sloppy and United can no longer be excused for these kinds of defeats which have been far too common since 2013.

However, the defeat is not the end of the world. The Champions League is a marathon, not a sprint and so hiccups do happen to most teams along the way.

From a United perspective, it may also be better that they make errors earlier in the season rather than later when recovery may be impossible.

It’s safe to say that Solskjaer has been given sufficient backing by the United board and management. We can now judge him on results alone and not contextual issues or behindthe-scenes stuff such as the depth of his squad and board issues.

Patience with a manager can only last so long and Solskjaer has justifiably been given a lot of patience. This season will be one that potentially makes or breaks his legacy as a manager at Manchester United.

SPORT

en-za

2021-09-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://pretorianews.pressreader.com/article/281732682619826

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