Has Solskjaer turned Man United around? And is he the right person to take the club forward?

It’s been nearly three years since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over as Manchester United manager, picking up from Jose Mourinho in late December 2018 as a caretaker before being appointed permanently in March of 2019. There have been remarkable runs of form — like winning 14 of his first 19 matches in charge — and some even more stunning failures, namely three semifinal exits in 2019-20 (Carabao Cup, FA Cup, Europa League), as well as their Champions League group stage exit and a humbling defeat on penalties in the Europa League final last season.

As divisive as the Mourinho era was, it did bring trophies back to United, something Solskjaer’s yet to accomplish. Their Premier League drought has continued — last win: 2012-13 — and they’ve not claimed a title of any kind since the Europa League in 2016-17.

Solskjaer has since rebuilt this squad and been given the star players he’s demanded — this summer alone saw Cristiano Ronaldo return to the club he left in 2009, along with Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane — but the same frustrations remain. Can this squad of talented individuals be fused into a successful collective, and is Solskjaer the right man to do it?

With a run of critical games ahead for United — two dates with Atalanta in the Champions League, plus league fixtures against Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in the next three weeks alone — we look at Solskjaer the coach, Solskjaer the motivator and Solskjaer the tactician. Can he return this club to its proud peak?

Jump to: Defining Solskjaer the manager | Solskjaer the tactician | Handling the squad | Issues Solskjaer must fix | Is he the man for Man United?

What defines Solskjaer as a manager?

In early 2020, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave a television interview in which he was asked for three words to sum himself up as Manchester United manager. In reply, he gave 171, meandering towards a conclusion that left the viewer none the wiser as to the characteristics that define him.

– ESPN+ viewers’…