The Norwegian has had his fair share of setbacks during his time on the bench at Old Trafford but one former team-mate believes he’ll succeed.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is”doing a fantastic job” in Old Trafford, based on club great David Beckham.
Solskjaer — in his first full season at the helm having originally replaced Jose Mourinho on an interim basis in December 2018 — has overseen a topsy-turvy effort, with United languishing fifth in the Premier League.
United have beaten Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Leicester City this year, and attracted with runaway leaders Liverpool, but the Red Devils are still three points adrift of the Champions League places.
Despite United’s struggles, Beckham — who played Solskjaer in the Theatre of Dreams — praised the Norwegian boss.
“I think he is doing a fantastic job,” Beckham told Sky Sports. “The fact he’s stepped in and stepped up, and that he has been positive about players, he has that in the boss [Alex Ferguson]. He would never criticise a player from his team and Ole has been precisely the same.
“He is still learning, but he’ll secure his players and shield Manchester United. All the fans are going to be behind him because he is a terrific man and because of what he’s done for Manchester United through the years.”
United have fought since Alex Ferguson retired after guiding the club to the Premier League glory in 2012-13.
Only twice have United finished in the top four — in 2015 and 2018 — after Ferguson’s departure as David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have come and gone.
Bitter rivals Liverpool are 22 points clear atop the table and 38 before United as they close in on their first league crown since 1990 and Beckham — currently co-owner of MLS expansion side Inter Miami — stated: “I think once you are a club as big as Manchester United and you have had the quantity of success we had, there was always going to be a period where other clubs have some success.
“When that success has been had by Manchester City or Liverpool it is always going to be talked about. There was always going to be a transition period, particularly if Alex Ferguson resigned.
“You’d David Gill is working in the club also and the players stopped playing, Giggsy [Ryan Giggs], Scholesy [Paul Scholes] and the News [Gary and Phil Neville], they stopped playing so there was always going to be a time when they were not as profitable.
“Is it tough to watch them today? No because I am a true Manchester United fan and no matter what the circumstance, I really like watching them play. But let us hope it does not continue for too much longer we go without decorations because we’re among the greatest clubs in the world and not many clubs have that heritage.”
