Solskjaer was asked to restore 'style' and 'mood' at Manchester United

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's job description at Manchester United was largely to undo the negative effects of Jose Mourinho's final few weeks.

Published : Feb 09, 2019 17:31 IST

Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
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Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he was tasked with restoring Manchester United's style of play and a positive mood around the club when he was hired as caretaker manager.

The former forward was named as United boss on an interim basis in December after Jose Mourinho was sacked following the 3-1 Premier League defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.

United has won nine and drawn one of 10 matches in all competitions under Solskjaer, while a renewed focus on attacking football has allowed players such as Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford to flourish.

Indeed, Solskjaer and Rashford won January's manager and player of the month, the first time United has achieved such a double since Alex Ferguson and Dimitar Berbatov in January 2011.

While he insists he is not thinking about his prospects of getting the full-time job, Solskjaer believes he has already achieved part of his job description at Old Trafford.

Getting the mood back

"It's not about making a case for me to stay," he told Sky Sports. "Of course, Manchester United is the place to be. Everyone wants to be here and would love it.

"But my job description was, until the summer, get us playing in a certain way, get the mood back, get results - of course, I love every single minute of it and I'll take whatever comes when it comes.

"It's not just about putting smiles on faces, but that is a big part of it - making sure you come into training looking forward to the next day and enjoy what you're doing. That's what we're trying to do at the moment.

"It's tough being away from my family, of course, but it's a challenge every single day here because we play Fulham now, we need three points to get into the top four, then it's Paris Saint-Germain, then Chelsea - it's just challenge after challenge. It's fantastic."

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