Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Talks Style, Future Ahead of Cardiff vs. Manchester United

Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he wants his team to be like "the kids that love to play football" when they are playing under him for the next six months.

The Norwegian was appointed on Wednesday after the sacking of Jose Mourinho, and he is expected to return to his job at Molde at the end of the season.

A legend of the club, having played for Sir Alex Ferguson for 11 years, Solskjaer said he wants the side to play like United did under his former manager, per Jacob Murtagh of the Mirror:

"It's about getting every player to the best, speaking to them, training ground, philosophy, principles, how we want to play. It [doesn't] matter what team you're coaching, they all want to have a picture of how you want to play. [They are] quality players, so it will be easier to get players expressing themselves.

"You play with courage, go out there and express your skills. [Sir Alex] said go out and express, take risks. The last game he had as a manager was 5-5 [against West Bromwich Albion]; that was almost the perfect end to him as a manager, and I want the players to be similar. Be the kids that love to play football, and go out in front of the best fans in the world."

Solskjaer, 45, has a major job on his hands—not only to turn results around but to create a good atmosphere at the club after a fractious two-and-a-half years with Mourinho in charge.

United are sixth in the English top flight after their worst-ever start to a Premier League season. They are 11 points off the top four and 19 behind league leaders Liverpool.

Solskjaer's first match in charge is a visit to Cardiff City on Saturday, a club with whom he endured a difficult time as manager in 2014.

He hinted that Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez will not be available for the trip to Wales because he has yet to work with them:

In Solskjaer's only previous spell as a manager in England, his Cardiff side were relegated from the Premier League.

He is a two-time Norwegian title winner with Molde, but managing a club of United's stature will be a huge step up.

However, he is enormously popular with the United fanbase, not least as he famously scored the winner in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final. He was coach of the club's reserve side before taking over at Molde in 2010.

Solskjaer said returning to Old Trafford felt like coming home:

The expectation is that he will only be in charge until the summer, when United will hire a permanent replacement for Mourinho. However, ahead of the Cardiff game, he did not rule out the possibility of taking the job full time.

Solskjaer said it is not a scenario that has been discussed but that he is one of many who would "love" to be the permanent manager at Old Trafford, per the Mirror's David McDonnell:

"When you get a job like this and they ask you to sign for six months, you say, 'Yeah, I'm happy to help out,' and my job is to do as well as I can. They understand there are so many managers who would love to be manager of Manchester United. I'm one of them, but it's not something we've talked about—they'll do a process for the next six months."