There is a real air of hope at Old Trafford this week with the news that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been made the permanent manager of Manchester United on a three-year contract.
The former player has returned to the club on his white horse to save them from the desperate nightmare of Jose Mourinho and so far it has been a massive success.
United go into this weekend bang in contention for a place in the top four and getting ready for a Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona. Both of those achievements should not be underestimated given the position the club were in when Solskjaer became the interim coach but it is fair to say that the hard work is still ahead of him.
United have performed excellently under the Norwegian but they remain a country mile behind Liverpool and Manchester City in all areas and the work this summer is going to need to be successful if that gap is going to start to be closed.
The Manchester United squad remains unbalanced and weak in comparison to their two biggest rivals whilst the off-pitch activities at the club have also left a lot to be desired in recent years with the club still feeling the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Baby Faced Assassin will have plenty of work on his plate over the next six months but these are the first three jobs that he should focus on as he settles into his permanent seat at the Theatre Of Dreams…
Secure Marcus Rashford To A Long-Term Deal
Reports of Rashford agreeing a new contract are already beginning to surface in the wake of Solskjaer securing his own long-term future and it would be the perfect way for the new era to begin. The England striker is the future of Man United and if he can be tied down for the foreseeable future it will give the playing squad and the fans a massive boost as we head towards the business end of the season.
Continue To Show Paul Pogba The Love
The departure of Jose Mourinho has seen Paul Pogba transform from Lee Cattermole into Patrick Viera in recent weeks and that has to be down to the man management from the Norwegian gaffer in Manchester.
The French World Cup winner is clearly a player that needs to feel loved by his boss if he is to to perform his best on the pitch and Solskjaer must continue to keep his best player happy and content. A fit and happy Pogba is one of the most important players in the Premier League and United need their World Cup winner for the long haul.
Ship Out The Deadwood
The United squad is riddled with average players after years of miss management in the transfer market and that has to stop if they are to get back to the sharp end of the Premier League table any time soon. A host of players need to be shown the door this summer as the rebuild begins in earnest with Fred, Alexis Sanchez, Phil Jones, Ashley Young and Marcos Rojo just a few of the players that have struggled of late and should be shipped out.