Opinion: How Ole Gunnar Solskjaer helped Man Utd ace the festive period

Last season, he let several experienced first-team players go out on loan to make space for young talent. In the short term, that probably made his job harder – especially when Pogba, Martial and Rashford went down with lengthy injuries – but the boss felt it was the right decision for the club. It’s the kind of broad, structural planning that supporters often miss, given the highs and lows of twice-weekly results, but such decisions can have a massive effect on the feel and culture around a club. They can also pay off handsomely further down the line.

 

His transfers have also been good: who better to start against Burnley’s tough centre-half pairing Ben Mee and James Tarkowski than Edinson Cavani? The Uruguayan took some physical punishment, but bravely occupied his markers throughout and created space in front of the back four for Bruno Fernandes, Pogba et al, which ultimately helped United win the game. Elsewhere, Alex Telles’s arrival has likely inspired Shaw to greater, more consistent heights.

 

The only blot on our festive schedule was the 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City, but even that was a marginal affair decided by two set-pieces. Plus Pep Guardiola’s men had played just one game in the preceding 10 days, due to the postponement of their Premier League game with Everton.

 

But would Solskjaer have taken seven wins, two draws and just one defeat from that 10-game spell? He probably would, as would the millions of United fans who woke up buzzing on Wednesday morning.