Today marks one year since
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was handed the reigns as Manchester United’s
fourth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
Initially
brought in as a stop-gap while the club waited for someone of the ilk
of Mauricio Pochettino or Zinedine Zidane, there was no suggestion that
Solskjaer was a long-term solution.
But after leading a
rejuvenated United to 14 wins in his first 19 matches across all
competitions, the club’s board finally caved to pressure and gave him
the job full-time.
It
became apparent that Ed Woodward would have no choice but to name
Solskjaer as Jose Mourinho’s long-term successor after the Norwegian’s
greatest night as United manager, even still to this date, in Paris.
United
lost the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie 2-0 to Paris
Saint-Germain but then a dramatic comeback in the French capital, sealed
by a Marcus Rashford penalty in stoppage time, to secure progression on
away goals (3-3 on aggregate).
Now 12 months later
Solskjaer has overseen a mammoth rebuild which is starting to show
results as United close in on a return to the Champions League.
But
the Red Devils’ trajectory under the Norwegian has not always been
upwards. After getting the job permanently, they lost five of their last
nine league matches at the back end of last season.
A
humbling 4-0 defeat at Everton threatened to obliterate all the momentum
Solskjaer had gathered since his arrival. But in reality it highlighted
the weaknesses in his squad that had to be addressed in the summer.
The
47-year-old recently admitted that day at Goodison Park was ‘the lowest
I’ve been’ and then in April a draw at home to Chelsea in a pivotal
match in the race for the top four cost them dearly.
But
missing out on the Champions League could have been a blessing in
disguise. It allowed United to turn their attention to a different sort
of transfer target. Solskjaer placed an importance on signing young,
British talent and spent big on three players who matched that criteria.
Daniel
James was first through the door from Swansea for £17million before
Aaron Wan-Bissaka joined from Crystal Palace for £50m and Harry Maguire
arrived from Leicester for a huge £80m.
All three have
played crucial roles for United this season and nobody can deny they
have been valuable additions to the squad. But while the club has
strengthened with incomings, there is still one transfer issue
threatening to boil over.
Paul Pogba has wanted out of Old
Trafford for over a year now. The final few months of Mourinho’s tenure
were clouded by tension between him and the manager and still the
Frenchman is angling for a move away.
Guided by an exit
strategy continuously pounded in public by his agent Mino Raiola, a man
Gary Neville has called ‘a disgrace’, Pogba is hinting that he will
finally leave this summer.
Real
Madrid and Juventus are both rumoured to be keen on ending his Old
Trafford career for a second time but United won’t be forced into
selling one of their prized assets for nothing short of his value.
There
is no denying Pogba is a talent but for a player who has played just
610 minutes of football this season and contributed very little since
his return to England, Solskjaer would be forgiven for allowing him to
leave to strengthen elsewhere.
As well as the uncertainty
surrounding Pogba last summer, United also failed to bring in another
striker when Romelu Lukaku left for Inter Milan. They were linked with
several players but couldn’t get one through the door.
It
came back to bite them as well. When United lost 2-0 at West Ham in
September, Jesse Lingard, a man who has scored seven times in the past
two seasons, had to play up front.
Marcus Rashford has
impressed but he often does his best work from the left flank and
Anthony Martial, despite his recent good form, is yet to prove he can
score 25 goals a season.
There was plenty of cause for
optimism going into the new season but, given their horrendous finish to
the previous campaign, it felt Solskjaer had a lot to prove in the
role.
He
couldn’t have got off to a better start though. United decimated Frank
Lampard’s Chelsea 4-0 on the opening weekend of the season and served up
a performance that exactly matched the blueprint Solskjaer had in his
mind.
A Rashford brace and goals from Martial and James
capped off a devastating counter-attacking display but that was the best
it got for United in the opening months of the season.
United
have been at their best against the big boys this season. They have
beaten City home and away in the Premier League and have a superb 8-1
aggregate score over Chelsea thanks to a league double and Carabao Cup
victory.
But a failure to beat the ‘lesser teams’ have held
them back. Defeats by Newcastle, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Watford and
Bournemouth in the opening five months of the season showed there was
still work to be done.
They halted any momentum United
threatened to build up and wins over Tottenham, City and a draw at home
to Liverpool now felt flat.
United desperately needed
creativity in midfield. It’s all very well having frightening pace on
the break but if there’s nobody to supply the ammunition then their
deadly weapons cannot operate to maximum potential.
After a
lengthy negotiation, United finally struck a £68m deal with Sporting
Lisbon to sign Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese international scored 32
goals and provided 18 assists last season so United knew they had
someone who could unlock a defence.
Some signings take weeks
or months to get up to speed but Fernandes has been an instant hit. His
front-foot, aggressive style, coupled with the ability to pick a pass
and score all manner of goals, has been the driving force behind
United’s resurgence since Christmas.
But despite the acquisition of a midfield lynchpin United still couldn’t get a striker through the door.
Solskjaer
flew to hold talks with Erling Haaland, the Norwegian prodigy wanted by
all of Europe’s elite clubs, but he eventually signed for Borussia
Dortmund. Haaland’s form in the Bundesliga has made missing out on him
look like a massive mistake.
A deadline day move for
Bournemouth’s Joshua King also fell through and although United were
heavily linked with Edinson Cavani and Moussa Dembele, no concrete moves
were made.
In
the end, United made a desperate loan signing in Odion Ighalo from
Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua. Expectations were low but
the Nigerian has been a breath of fresh air.
His physical
style and poacher’s instincts around the box have offered United a
different threat and his four goals in eight games, including a belter
against LASK in the Europa League, have led to talk of the club making
the move permanent in the summer.
As well as those purchases
made by Solskjaer in this season’s transfer window, he has also found
reinforcements from the club’s youth system. Ferguson’s tenure was
littered with young prospects like Cristiano Ronaldo, the Neville
brothers and Ryan Giggs to name a few but in recent years they have
dried up.
This season has seen Brandon Williams and Mason
Greenwood play increasingly important roles. Solskjaer’s willingness to
convert to a back five in recent months has seen Luke Shaw shifted
inside and Williams allowed to maraud down the left flank.
Greenwood,
meanwhile, looks every inch a United striker for years to come. His
left foot has produced some moments of magic this season with 12 goals
for the senior side. There are others to come, too. Dean Henderson could
return from Sheffield United, James Garner looks every inch a midfield
maestro and Tahith Chong has just signed a new deal.
Before
English football shut down earlier this month due to the coronavirus
crisis, United were unbeaten in 11 matches. Of those they had won eight.
They also scored 29 goals, conceded just two and kept nine clean
sheets.
United finally have a tactical identity again and
Solskjaer is beginning to construct a squad of players that know how to
deliver it. No longer are there moves for big names who are past their
best like Radamel Falcao and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
Now
United are finally implementing some sort of transfer system that is
producing results. This summer, if football manages to restart in the
coming months, is crucial to the project. If United can seal Champions
League football then they will have access to a better tier of player.
A
big-money move for Jadon Sancho is reportedly being lined up and
Solskjaer knows there are still areas to improve if United are to catch
up to Liverpool and City, the Premier League’s standout clubs.
But
the first 12 months under Ole have been more than positive. If United
can continue their progress in the coming year then the summit of
English football will surely not be too far away.
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