In the wake of Jose Mourinho's sacking from Manchester United, the club have chosen to replace him with former hero Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Stepping into the role of interim manager, the Norwegian has many issues to address in his quest to arrest the side's fortunes and the negativity surrounding the club. Our columnist looks at three key issues he'll need to confront...
Boost morale and team happiness
Under the stewardship of Mourinho, a man who was never shy in criticising his players in public and letting his opinion fly in a forceful manner, there was no escaping the detrimental impact this had on the squad.
Couple this with his pragmatic tactics and the palpable tension surrounding United was rife. On a massive downhill spiral, Man Utd currently find themselves 19 points behind table leading Liverpool as a result, an unacceptable position to be in for a club of United's quality and stature.
With Solskjaer now taking over the reigns, his first challenge will be to return some much needed confidence and positivity into this group. Crucially, he's shown from his previous posts that he backs his players and shows plenty of belief in his troops. This should unquestionably be a breath of fresh air for a United team who had clearly grown tired of Mourinho's demoralising style and approach.
Sort out Pogba
The strained relationship between Paul Pogba and Mourinho had become a disappointing, ongoing saga, as the duo had been battling it out for the best part of a year. While Mourinho stoked the fire by publicly lambasting him many times and dropping him regularly, the French World Cup winner didn't cover himself in glory either due to his antics, with his outspoken nature getting himself into hot water and frustrating Mourinho on many occasions. Never really seeming to trust Pogba, Mourinho duly struggled to get the best out of his £89 million star.
Having previously stated his admiration of Pogba and worked with him during his time coaching the United reserves, Solskjaer will relish the opportunity to involve the former Juventus whizz. "I would [build the team around him], absolutely no doubt," he said back in August. "That just shows how far the kid has come. Paul is a fantastic kid so hopefully we can build the team around him and keep him."
It'll therefore be expected we'll see the tremendously talented Pogba immediately restored to the starting lineup against Cardiff City this weekend, with the enigmatic midfielder set to be an integral component of the 45-year-old's plans.
Offensive football to return
As the unrest grew on many fronts, the stifling tactics often implemented by the Portuguese manager were a key bone of contention among many. Judging on Solskjaer's previous experiences, the new man in charge should bring some bolder, more attackingly geared football to Old Trafford, something that will be music to the United faithful's ears.
Although it'll take some time for his ideas to bed in, once they've been taken on board, Solskjaer will be hoping to get his team playing some progressive and exciting possession football. Previously noting Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson as two of his idols and never afraid to give youth a chance, he'll insist on United building out from the back, pushing the full backs high and using the breathtaking pace and dynamism of the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford to stretch defences.
All things considered, he's certainly got a massive task ahead of him to get things back on track to revive the ailing Manchester giants. Possessing an invaluable love and knowledge of the club, a desire to play offensive football and wanting to get his players back enjoying their football, watching him go about his work will be fascinating as he'll do everything in his power to rejuvenate his beloved United.
