Garry Neville does not fancy the idea of giving Ole Gunnar Solskjaer permanent Manchester United job just now.
Although the former fullback feels that the Norwegian has done perfectly the job he was asked to do, he reckons that the decision to appoint him permanently should be taken after the Champions League clash against PSG, FA Cup fifth round tie against Chelsea and a Premier League clash against arch-rivals Liverpool.
“No. I think that’s far too early. If you’d have said to me when he got the job what the chances were as a percentage, I’d have said probably 25 per cent. He’s had an incredible run. He’s got a far greater percentage chance now – maybe 50, 60 per cent – but Chelsea away in the FA Cup, PSG in the Champions League, Liverpool, today against Leicester. There’s a huge challenge coming in the next five, six weeks and I think the end of March, early April is the right time to assess the body of work that Ole’s done.” Neville told Sky Sports.
Neville feels that Solskjaer has lifted the spirits in the United camp and calls it an ‘incredible turnaround’ and in his period in charge, Solskjaer has overseen eight wins and a draw across competitions.
“He’s lifted the club on and off the pitch. It’s been an incredible turnaround, which shows you how bad the players felt before. I never realised how bad the players’ mood could have been to see the response since. There were certain players who, under Mourinho, played the best I’ve seen them – the likes of (Victor) Lindelof and (Jesse) Lingard – but you’ve seen what’s happened since. Is this the reality of what those players can achieve or are we just seeing a boost? I think the answer is somewhere in between but we’ll see.” Neville explained.
“The idea of Ole going through that run of fixtures and coming out of it well, you couldn’t sit here conceivably and see another manager. But I think Ole himself will think, ‘Let’s get through February and March and if I’m doing what I’m doing now, I’ve staked a claim’. At this moment he is staking a claim but he knows there are massive challenges to come. The job that Ole is doing now is exactly what the club asked him to do – to get the club happy again on and off the pitch. However, is he the man to win them the Champions League and the Premier League? If the answer to that is yes, then they should give him the job,” the retired English footballer concluded.
When Man United sacked Mourinho, they were lying 11 points below the automatic Champions League spot but are now rightfully tight in the race with Chelsea and Arsenal.