Manchester United Have 'Fear Factor' Back, Says Chris Smalling

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling says the club have their "fear factor" back after turning their form around under caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The Red Devils have lost just once in 12 games under the Norwegian, and Smalling says opponents now fear facing the Red Devils once again, per the Guardian's Jamie Jackson. 

"I hope so and I think it probably is [true]. Confidence has been good the last couple of months – you can sense if you give us a lot of chances we'll score a lot of goals, and that's that fear factor. Obviously PSG is that step up in the Champions League that we need consistency for.

"But we're definitely feeling that Old Trafford fear factor and teams come now where they are maybe relying on getting a draw or a lucky result, whereas before they had more hope of a win."

Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in December and oversaw a run of 10 wins and a draw from his first 11 games, before being beaten for the first time by Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.

The Manchester United boss said the defeat was a "reality check" for his side:

Yet his team's form in recent weeks has seen the Red Devils move into the top four of the Premier League and into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Key players Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba have found their best form under Solskjaer and have combined to good effect:

Solskjaer now has his work cut out to ensure his side respond well to their defeat to PSG ahead of some testing fixtures.

They face Chelsea in the FA Cup on Monday and then take on bitter rivals and Premier League leaders Liverpool in the Premier League.

The club will also be forced to make do without attackers Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial due to injury:

Solskjaer's managerial ability will be tested to the full over Manchester United's next few fixtures as he needs to restore confidence and cope with injuries.

The team's results in the coming games may go a long way to deciding if he will be handed the job on a permanent basis at the end of the season.