A dig at Mourinho? Solskjaer concedes 'a lot needed to be changed' at Man Utd

The Red Devils boss claimed he doesn't "necessarily believe in everything we've done before" but feels his side are now "going places"

Posted Saturday, March 14, 2020 by Goal.com

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has seemingly aimed a sly dig at his Manchester United predecessor Jose Mourinho, with the current Red Devils boss saying "a lot needed to be changed" when he took over.

A former favourite was returned to Old Trafford in December 2018 on an initial interim basis.

With Mourinho having been unable to bring the good times back, having briefly offered hope in his debut campaign, the decision was taken to make another change in the dugout.

Solskjaer offered enough to earn a three-year contract, but there was widespread acceptance that he had taken on a major rebuilding project.

The Norwegian has been eager to point out at regular intervals that there are no quick fixes to be found, while many legendary figures from United’s past have called for patience to be shown across several seasons and transfer windows.

Solskjaer has now appeared to aim a swipe at those who went before him, with a fallen giant only recently showing signs of getting back to its feet.

The United manager told reporters on the job he took on: "I felt a lot needed to be changed.

"I believe that we're going places. I believe that we're on the track that Man United need to be on.

"There are different cultures at different clubs and different ways of doing things and I believe in the way we do things at Man United now.

"I don't necessarily believe in everything we've done before but at the moment I believe in what we're doing."

Solskjaer has guided United back into top-four contention in the Premier League – prior to English football being shut down amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic – while they are also in the hunt for major silverware across FA Cup and Europa League competition.

"I think I'm the right man but I'm not going to sit here and talk about that," added the man charged with the task of returning former glories to the Theatre of Dreams.

"The proof is in the pudding at the end of the day."

United will not be back in action again until April 4 at the earliest, when they are due to travel to Brighton, but an enforced break will allow them to get those nursing knocks back up to speed.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Jesse Lingard would have been in contention to face Mourinho and Tottenham this weekend, while Paul Pogba – who has been restricted to just eight appearances this season – is also closing in on a return.

Solskjaer said of the World Cup winner when asked if he could be thrown straight back into action: "He’s trained.

"I don’t think he’s had enough sessions with the team. But I had a nice conversation with him the other day and I wouldn’t think he’d be against it if I asked him."