Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Reportedly Manchester United's Only Managerial Candidate

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reportedly "made a compelling case" to land the job as Manchester United manager on a permanent basis at the end of the season. 

ESPN FC's Mark Ogden has caretaker boss Solskjaer as "the only serious candidate" being considered by the club after a superb sequence of results following Jose Mourinho's dismissal back in December.

Such is the confidence in Solskjaer's credentials, Ogden noted how United have not approached any other managers. The club's former striker has "moved ahead of Tottenham's Mauricio Pochettino and Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri."

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It's quite a rise in credibility for Solskjaer, who looked little more than a stop-gap after Mourinho got the boot. There were understandable doubts about the Norwegian's ability to handle a job of this stature since his only other exposure to Premier League management ended in relegation with Cardiff City back in 2014.

Those doubts have long since been erased, though, with former Molde boss Solskjaer helping engineer a remarkable turnaround. United are unbeaten in 11 Premier League matches on Solskjaer's watch, a run that's seen the Old Trafford club get back into the thick of the race for a top-four finish.

United are fifth and trail Arsenal by just a point, yet Solskjaer's success hasn't just been confined to the league. He's also guided the Red Devils to the quarter-final of the FA Cup, directing notable away wins over the Gunners and Chelsea along the way.

Those triumphs are part of a club record-setting away run on the 46-year-old's watch:

The last of those victories came on Wednesday when United beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Selhurst Park. It was a result achieved despite the absence of several key players through injury, including forwards Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard, along with midfield duo Ander Herrera and Juan Mata.

Solskjaer juggling the need to reshuffle his squad and negotiate a difficult fixture impressed many:

The only blot on Solskjaer's copybook has been the 2-0 home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League last 16. Yet losing to an expensively assembled marquee squad shouldn't be enough to detract from the positive nature of Solskjaer's body of work.

Instead, United are rapidly approaching a position where the club will need an awfully strong reason not to give him the job. Frankly, it's in the Reds' best interest not to bother looking for one.

Solskjaer has impressed on many levels, but his most notable achievement has been to restore the feel-good factor and swagger within the squad.

While Mourinho often chose to adopt a tough-love approach with under-performing stars, Solskjaer has been content to talk up his players. The effect has benefited club-record signing Paul Pogba more than most:

Negativity defined Pogba's relationship with Mourinho. By contrast, Solskjaer has dubbedthe Frenchman "one of the best attacking midfielders in the world."

He's also repeatedly described Pogba as a future United captain.

Players have responded to Solskjaer's positive vibes. His enterprising style of play has also endeared him to a club with a proud history of attacking football.

Solskjaer has labelled United as being "about attacking, about pace, about power."

His adherence to club traditions has extended to seeking and trusting the counsel of experienced assistant Mike Phelan. The latter was a mainstay of the staff during the glory years of Sir Alex Ferguson's reign, and his return has done as much to revive the club as Solskjaer's comeback.

A more expansive style of play implemented by figures from a winning tradition has created the tangible feeling United has rediscovered an identity lost since Ferguson retired in 2013.

It's the main reason why giving Solskjaer the job permanently makes too much sense not to happen.