Mike Phelan has been crucial in Solskjaer's revolution at Man United

Ole's at the wheel, most definitely. But aiding the navigation is Mike Phelan.

Having spent five years as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant, Phelan possesses the Manchester United roadmap and is once again bringing an approach that complements his manager in reinstalling a winning psyche and lifting the atmosphere at the club.

That much can be seen by his Twitter account, in which information about coaching is punctuated with disarming humour.

In the moments after United beat PSG, Phelan tweeted: '180 missed calls. Can't understand the fuss? Some of us have been here before.' Below were two pictures, one of him walking alongside Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, another of a cartoon bouncer pointing to an enclosure marked 'Legends Only'.

Before kick-off at Parc des Princes Phelan wrote: 'I seem to remember this great football club coming from behind before' accompanied with a winky emoji, the staple choice of a confident mentality. Aspiration is back at United, and so is the fun.

'Mick's good with people,' Eric Steele tells Sportsmail. 'He puts smiles on faces.' Steele was Ferguson's goalkeeping coach for the five years when Phelan was last employed by United.

'I wouldn't underestimate how much Mick has done in pulling people together,' Steele adds. 'How do you define the Man United way? It is in people, the care on and off the field.

'Everybody is part of the success, whether you are a tea lady or the youth. It is a total club effort. Everybody cares and you are made to feel part of it. That comes from the top.

'You spend a lot of time at a training ground, so Mick will have realised very quickly that has to turn around. You shake hands with people, you sit and have a cup of tea.

'Your working environment is vital. We were always conscious we had to set the scene. Mick was the one. Boom, what is the day about?

'We used to work hard – don't forget he is a very good coach and is great for structure. But off the field we'd laugh together. Mick has always been an unsung hero, the man behind the man.'

The man, very much, is Solskjaer. He has set the tone, picked the teams, and fronted it all. But in Phelan he has an invaluable source of experience that chimes with his own philosophy.

It all makes so much sense now, but it is worth noting it was the Norwegian's choice to bring Phelan back to United, having previously worked together for many seasons. Solskjaer picked up the phone and Phelan took the call while delivering a practical theory session in coaching at Burnley College. His answer to Solskjaer's request was instant.

The results have been spectacular and those granted access to Carrington have seen why.

David Horrocks is an elite performance researcher who has worked with Phelan for several years and is a co-director of www.sensiblesoccer.co.uk. A little more than a fortnight ago he was allowed in to witness the revolution forming.

He saw how Solksjaer and Phelan interacted with fellow coaches Michael Carrick, Kieran McKenna, and Mark Dempsey. It was less than 48 hours after a game and associated travel, so to all intents a purposes it was a 'recovery day'. Not that the session was easy.

In a post on his website, Horrocks describes the conversation between the five. 'We'll play an 11 v 11 then eh? 40 minutes say? No 22.5 each way. Well that's a half isn't it? Tell you what, injury time as well. And a winning goal. Sounds good to me, let's get out there.'

Solskjaer made the final call but there was collaboration and decisiveness. Horrocks writes: 'It was natural, not a second thought about it, and that is the dynamic of Manchester United right now.

'I've witnessed hundreds of training ground games over the years, not many like this on a recovery day mind, and I can honestly tell you the pace, the desire, the tackles, the freedom and willingness to create and win was infectious.

'What's more a look to my left and at least ten players plus who were either injured or forced to sit out due to their last match exertions were not only voluntarily watching they were there cheering every touch, every attack, and quite literally demanding both quality and entertainment from their peers. And believe me it was being delivered in abundance.

'It's an attitude, atmosphere and culture such as this that forms the bedrock of nights like Paris.'

Phelan has been instrumental to this mood change. Just as he would under Ferguson, he takes some sessions, Solskjaer others, with Dempsey, who moved from Molde in December having worked in United's academy previously, Carrick, and McKenna also encouraged to assume leads at various moments.

Steele recognises that collegiate spirit from his time at United and expresses a little regret it did not happen sooner. Like Steele, Phelan left when David Moyes took charge after Ferguson.

'Mick would have been your succession plan for when the great man left,' he says. 'He should have been in there, stayed on.

'You can't change your past but you can the future. Bring people back who know what Man United is about.'