Manchester United: Delivering success with a smile, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left club with only one choice to make

Solskjaer wasn't considered a contender for the permanent job upon his appointment but 99 whirlwind days later the role is his

Nothing illustrates Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s journey over the last few months better than the story of Manchester United’s recent Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain.

Solskjaer watched December’s draw for the last-16 on television, at home in his native Norway with his son Noah. Both commented how difficult a test it would be for United.

That same week, he was installed as his old club’s caretaker manager. Three months later, after an incredible victory at the Parc des Princes, he had all but secured the full-time post.

Confirmation of Solskjaer as Jose Mourinho’s permanent successor finally came on Thursday morning but it has been in little doubt ever since that night in Paris.

Yet even before then, results had left United’s hierarchy - the Glazer family and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward - with only one choice to make.

They simply had not considered Solskjaer to be a contender for the permanent position upon his appointment as caretaker before Christmas.

But victories away from home in the FA Cup at Arsenal and Chelsea were impressive displays of tactical maturity and game management.

Those also came after an important three points in Solskjaer’s ‘first big test’ - a 1-0 win at Tottenham Hotspur - which happened to see him claim the scalp of his main rival for the role.

While talk of United’s desire to appoint Mauricio Pochettino was sometimes overblown, it is easy to see why he was initially the overwhelming favourite to replace Mourinho.

Pochettino’s reputation in this country is built on six years of overachievement relative to resources at Tottenham and, before that, Southampton. Solskjaer by contrast has won United around on the basis of just 19 games - winning 14, drawing two, losing three.

What’s more, confirmation of his appointment comes despite suffering back-to-back defeats and the definitive end of any lingering honeymoon effect.

But to judge Solskjaer only on results would ignore how he and his staff have also lifted the mood around Carrington, arresting the decay of the club’s working culture and environment.

Solskjaer has overseen a dramatic transformation at United (Getty)

Mourinho largely lost his job because of a breakdown in his relationship with the dressing room which no run of positive results was likely to resolve.

With the help of two United old boys in assistant Mike Phelan and coach Mark Dempsey, as well as Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna from the previous regime, Solskjaer has changed that.

Players speak of a greater emphasis on attacking play, enjoying more freedom to express themselves and a license to be more courageous and adventurous in possession. United are winning again and this time, with a smile.

This has, in some ways, boxed United into a corner. Had he been overlooked for this permanent role, Solskjaer would have remembered as a cure-all and become a stick to beat the new manager with; a ready-made replacement behind ‘break in case of emergency’ glass.

Now that the job is his and his alone, Solskjaer’s task is to prove that the excellent start to his second life at Old Trafford is sustainable by achieving United’s only realistic objective for the remainder of the season.

But a top-four finish in the Premier League is far from certain, especially given a less-than-favourable run-in and the recent 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates which could prove costly in a tight-run race come the final analysis.

Those aforementioned FA Cup wins count for little now, as well, after the worst performance of Solskjaer’s tenure so far saw United knocked out at the quarter-final stage by Wolves less than a fortnight ago.

And though anything may seem possible in the Champions League after events of a few weeks ago, overcoming Barcelona in the quarter-finals is a tall order. The prospect of ultimate success in the Madrid final is taller still.

United could easily end this eventful campaign without a trophy and preparing for Thursday night football come September. The giddiness of the last few months would have dissipated by then. The cold, hard realities of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era would have returned.

Yet at the same time, their improvement both on and off-the-pitch under Solskjaer is remarkable, undeniable and has ultimately given Old Trafford’s decision makers the confidence to make this call now, at a point in the campaign when there is much still to be decided.

Solskjaer could have done precious little more to deserve this opportunity and there is belief, rather than blind hope, that he will make a success of it. Even if he does not, they’ll always have Paris.