I’m positive about Manchester United this season but my first statement has to be stark: the honeymoon is over for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
When he was appointed in December 2018, it was not because his CV at Cardiff and Molde made him the outstanding candidate. United were wobbling, losing their way in the post Sir Alex Ferguson years, and they needed somebody to bring things back together.
Opting for Solskjaer back then was an inspired decision, in terms of being a unifying figure. It’s easy to criticise United but Solskjaer doesn’t get enough credit for the job he has done in halting the slide, galvanising them and starting the process of moving them forward again.
Solskjaer, though, played for Ferguson and knows better than anyone the influence a United manager must have. With Ferguson, you had the expectation his side would become winners. Solskjaer, a hero to fans as a player, simply doesn’t have that reputation yet.
Let me explain the impact Ferguson could have on a match – and a season. I remember one of my first derbies at Old Trafford – playing at right-back, I was within his earshot all day, I heard everything from the berating of the referees and fourth officials to the mind games with opponents.
I was even on the end of it… there was a point in the match when Ryan Giggs found himself under the cosh from Ferguson, as I had handled myself well. He stood on the touchline, in that way of his with one hand in his pocket, and began shouting to Giggs.
“You! Giggsy! You’ll becoming to sit here next to me if you don’t start beating this young boy! What’s the matter with you! Come on!” When I heard this, I looked over and Ferguson was looking at me. I looked at Giggs and could see he was laughing. He knew… anything to get an edge.
It didn’t fluster me but such a tactic would have worked on others. You used to see him standing in the tunnel before matches, leaning on officials and exuding this aura. You weren’t just going into battle – you felt like you were confronting The Messiah.
Ferguson will forever set the benchmark, he was worth 10 points a season at least, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that it took him four years, following his appointment in 1986, to win his first trophy. The momentum built after that FA Cup triumph and I wonder whether things can be the same for Solskjaer.
I’m not for one minute saying he is going to replicate what Ferguson did but I have tipped United to win the FA Cup. That piece of silverware offers the prime opportunity for them to bring success back to Old Trafford.
Why not the Premier League? Simple. They are two players short still of having a squad that can really go toe-to-toe with Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, for all that they have significantly improved with the additions of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.
In one of my first columns last year, I argued that it would have been the wrong time for Sancho to go to United. I stick to it. A price tag of more than £100million, as it was 12 months ago, would have heaped incredible pressure on him and I was unsure about what direction United were head.
By waiting, they have got him for a better price and are in a better place. The forward line is potentially as good as anything around – Marcus Rashford will be a different proposition once he is fit, Mason Greenwood has genuine star potential and Edinson Cavani brings it all together.
Varane is an intriguing signing. He is one of my favourite defenders in world football with incredible qualities but he has not become the best defender in the world, as I thought would be the case when he first joined Real Madrid.
I thought he would be at Virgil van Dijk’s level, talked about in the way we do Sergio Ramos, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Ruben Dias – who has elevated himself into that group after an outstanding first year at City.
How Varane copes with the Premier League will be fascinating. He is absolutely rapid and his speed allows him to recover but I have watched a lot of his clips and, from time to time, he finds himself out of position. English football is also rough and tumble, so how will he adapt?
The two areas I still feel United lack in are central midfield. The Paul Pogba-Bruno Fernandes pairing as a two-man unit doesn’t work and they need a general – someone such as Paris St Germain’s Marco Veratti – to dictate the tempo of play.
Going into the season with Dean Henderson as number one, meanwhile, is also a gamble. I’m not questioning his ability but I use the word gamble because he hasn’t played at the top level regularly – until he has a significant number of games under his belt, you can’t have 100 per cent confidence.
Perhaps that sentiment could be applied to United in general. They are not going to win the Premier League or Champions League but they have got to win something and need to become familiar again with the feeling of winning trophies.
They fell short in the Europa League final last year but there can’t be anymore false steps. Solskjaer has spoken of his belief in the squad and his dreams for them yet, at the same time, he knows those words mean nothing. Results are the only things that matter. It’s up to him to deliver.