Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has returned the “enjoyment factor” to Manchester United, says John O’Shea, and is putting himself in contention to secure a permanent deal at Old Trafford.
With Jose Mourinho relieved of his managerial duties on the back of a testing start to the 2018-19 campaign, the Red Devils turned to a familiar face in an effort to steady the ship.
An immediate reversal in fortune has been enjoyed, with four successive victories accompanying the start of a new era.
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Solskjaer has been credited with giving his players more freedom in which to express themselves, with the likes of Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford rejuvenated under his guidance.
Former United defender O’Shea believes the Norwegian must now be considered a leading candidate to retain the reins, with his early work suggesting that he is the right man for the job.
The Irishman, who is set to be reunited with the Red Devils on Saturday when Reading take in an FA Cup third round trip to Old Trafford, told reporters of Solskjaer’s impact: “He’s [making] a hell of an impression to get the job, that’s for sure.
“To bring that freedom of expression and enjoyment; they’re at Manchester United because they’re good players. That’s the big thing.
“Knowing Ole, the type of player and person he was, you can see why the board and the club decided to go that way.
“It’ll be that enjoyment factor, and that professionalism and killer instinct he had. That’ll have been the key. The enjoyment and maintaining the standard of what the club and fans hope and expect to see.
“They’ve had a run of games where they’ve really put their foot down and go on and finished teams off as well. Everything he seems to be doing at the minute… he makes a sub and 40 seconds later, the sub scores.
“Everything’s going in his favour at the minute, but I hope he stays unbeaten in the league and gets knocked out of the cup.
“If he keeps that run going, if he has success in, hopefully not the FA Cup, but the Champions League, and carries on the run in the league, he’ll be putting himself as a frontrunner for the job.
“He’ll want to carry on that momentum he’s created early on, and he’ll definitely be under consideration.
“He’s been brought in until the summer, but that can all change very quickly.”