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Paul Pogba Says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Should Get Full-Time Manchester United Job
March 20, 2019
Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba thinks Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves to be made the club's full-time manager.
Solskjaer was appointed interim boss until the end of the season in December, after Jose Mourinho was given his marching orders. While the Red Devils have lost their last two games, the Norwegian has done a fantastic job and is expected to be in the Old Trafford dugout next season.
Pogba's form picked up dramatically following the arrival of Solskjaer, and the Frenchman believes the coach has done enough to warrant staying on, per James Dale of Sky Sports:
"Of course we want him to stay. The results have been great. I have a great relationship with him, he has a great relationship with the players.
"When a player is happy, he wants to keep being happy. Solskjaer deserves it. He knows the club, he knows everything about the club. He is a really happy coach that gave confidence back to the players.
"This gave us the freedom to play and enjoy football again because maybe we lost that with the results that we had before."
Here's more of what Pogba had to say:
These figures illustrate just how much of an impression Solskjaer has had on Pogba's performances:
Pogba, who had a frosty relationship with Mourinho, was coy when quizzed on what was going wrong for the team earlier in the campaign.
"Maybe we lost confidence, maybe things went wrong," he said. "A lot of talking outside that we weren't used to."
While United have lost their last two games to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup and Arsenal in the Premier League, Solskjaer has taken the team on further than many would have anticipated. They are in the hunt for a top-four berth in the top flight and in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph reflected on some of the challenges Solskjaer has already had to overcome in his tenure:
James Ducker @TelegraphDuckerI do chuckle when people say Solskjaer has been lucky. He’s had terrible injuries, Arsenal, Chelsea and Wolves away in successive FA Cup draws & Barca now following PSG in the CL with Liverpool (or Porto) potentially in the last four. Not sure that counts as living a charmed life
Here is a reminder of the high point of his spell in charge, as a last-gasp penalty from Marcus Rashford saw United complete a stunning comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League (U.S. only):
It was reported by John Cross of the Daily Mirror the Red Devils will confirm Solskjaer as their permanent manager during the current international break, with the club keen to start laying foundations for the 2018-19 season.
Losses to Wolves and Arsenal may have sapped some confidence the United fanbase had in Solskjaer. However, with a key figure like Pogba backing him and a body of impressive of results to point to, the Norwegian will surely be given an opportunity to make a long-term impression at Old Trafford.