Ole Gunnar Solskjaer WILL be AROUND next season... but maybe not at Man Utd - PAUL MERSON
Posted Sunday, February 10, 2019 by Dailystar.co.uk
Man Utd news: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be in the Premier League next season, says Paul Merson (Pic: GETTY)
He's making it very hard for them NOT to make him the permanent manager the way he is going.
And I'm sure other clubs have noticed. If he doesn't end up staying on, I think he will get a big job somewhere else.
But I still don't think he's right for the job at Old Trafford because it's not a six-month plan there, it's a five-year project and someone like Mauricio Pochettino would be more suited to it.
Solskjaer is doing a great job but the reins are off and so is the pressure. And they are still miles behind Manchester City.
They need someone who can rebuild the club from top to bottom, not just give them a quick shot in the arm.
What's impressed me about Solskjaer is he hasn't just put his arm around players and got them smiling again.
He has also proved he's good enough tactically as well and that has probably surprised a few people after what happened to him at Cardiff.
Solskjaer out-thought Unai Emery when they played Arsenal in the FA Cup by playing Romelu Lukaku on the right up front because he knew there would be space there, and they exploited it.
And if United beat Paris St-Germain in the Champions League and then turn over Liverpool to stop them winning the league, I'd be shocked if he didn't get the job then.
But I'm not sure they will end up finishing in the top four.
There are still a lot of cracks in that team. Their midfield is not particularly strong.
Man Utd news: Solskjaer had an unsuccessful spell at Cardiff (Pic: GETTY)
Nemanja Matic is doing well again, but him and Ander Herrera are not going to win you titles.
United's defence is all over the place too. David De Gea has to make far too many saves all the time for me.
Look at the Tottenham game. They really should have lost but De Gea kept them in it almost single-handedly.
I think they need to make a handful of big signings to get anywhere near the level City and Liverpool are at right now.
There's a lot of work to be done. He's got players playing to the best of their ability right now.
Can Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial play any better? What happens if they drop off a bit?
The one thing Solskjaer has going for him is he knows the club and the people there, and they know him.
Solskjaer has revived young stars Lingard and Rashford (Pic: GETTY)
It's already an easy relationship. Plus, the fans at Old Trafford love him and because of that he would get more patience and more time than someone like Pochettino if he got the job full time.
But heroes come and go. Just look at Thierry Henry for example. He was a legend in France but he only lasted 10 minutes in the Monaco job. It soon changes.
United head to Craven Cottage today and they should win that one because Fulham are awful. And that will just put more pressure on their rivals for the top four.
Teams like Chelsea and Arsenal should certainly be worried because United are flying again. But it's whether they can sustain it.
There's a long way to go yet and you can't see United continuing on this kind of run until the end of the season.
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