COMMENT: Eleven years. Eleven years he's been at it. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and this coaching career of his. This Manchester United move has been eleven years in the making.
It may come as a surprise for some. Particularly his ex-teammates. But for Solskjaer, there was a career before Cardiff City. And even more significantly, there has been one after it.
Yet despite the consecutive victories. The eight goals. The football. The excitement. The simple lift Solskjaer has given everyone connected to the club. The prospect of the Norwegian being rewarded a long-term contract by United remains remote. Well, that is, at least according to those who would regard themselves as Solskjaer's peers.
None of them could rattle off his record pre- and post- Cardiff. The two titles with Molde. The European football. Achievements never before seen in their 107 year history.
Then there's the work that has established him as a manager. His approach to the transfer market. His development of young players. And his transformation of Norwegian football - breaking away from the school of Egil 'Drillo' Olsen, the former Wimbledon manager. Indeed, it's now reached the point where Solskjaer has expressed openly about the national team returning to Drillo's approach, believing the robust style of game suits the current generation more than the football that he actively pushed in his first spell at Molde.
And for all that, there is also the fight-back. The post- Cardiff experience. Learning where he went wrong. Rebuilding his reputation. His self belief. And the belief of those around him. A run to the knockout phase of the Europa League. Consecutive second place finishes in the Eliteserien. Then an enquiry this year. Not from United - but from Malmo of Sweden. The rebuild, even before this dream opportunity, was complete.
Need perspective? Gary Neville, who is simply one of many, doesn't want his long time teammate to get the permanent job. His choice is Mauricio Pochettino, the Tottenham manager. The same Pochettino who was sacked after less than three seasons in charge at Espanyol. The one who really owes his career to the foresight and genius of Nicola Cortese, Southampton's former mover and shaker. The Italian rolling the dice on a Pochettino with eight years less experience than the apparent gamble United have made in Solskjaer.
If he was connected to Manchester City, they'd all be celebrating his return today. Solskjaer's time away from United a mirror to the experience Patrick Vieira, now in charge of Nice, gained doing his apprenticeship at City. The only difference being, Solskjaer is now in the job he most coveted, while Vieira has had to go to France to take the next step in his career.
So why can't these past eleven years be regarded as Solskjaer's apprenticeship? The hard yards? The peaks. The valleys. And all learning along the way? What is so different between what Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain rolled out for Vieira at City and what Solskjaer has done on his own during a decade away from the club?
On Wednesday, after victory over Huddersfield, Solskjaer apologised for being late to the group of Norwegian reporters who have been shadowing him. The reason? He'd had an impromptu meeting with "the boss".
At 45, the same age as Solskjaer today, Sir Alex Ferguson took charge of United some 32 years ago. And unlike those in the media who played under him, he has kept up to date on Solskjaer's progress since handing him the job of strikers coach 11 years ago.
Ferguson's recommendation wasn't done on a whim. It wasn't based on nostalgia or simple hope. Solskjaer was brought to the club because Sir Alex believed him the best candidate for the job.
Nils Arne Eggen, Rosenborg's legendary coach, had it nailed last week.
The 15-time league title winner stating: "It was a surprise as they tend to go for the big name in both Europe and the world. But I know full well who is behind it. It's probably my friend for many years, Mr. Ferguson.
"He and I have a bit of the same thing about having a philosophy that is borne out by those who have lived by this philosophy."
Certainly, Solskjaer - like Ferguson - has the United 'philosophy', the DNA, coursing through him. And after 11 years on the training pitch, the education to mesh that DNA with his coaching know-how.
The Norwegian deserves to be regarded as more than a stop-gap. His achievements through an eleven year apprenticeship is proof enough of that.
