Updated at 22.36
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER must influence Manchester United’s future transfer dealings, according to former defender Gary Neville.
The interim boss made the perfect start to life back at Old Trafford with a 5-1 win over Cardiff City, to end a week which included Jose Mourinho’s sacking.
Mauricio Pochettino and Zinedine Zidane are reportedly being lined up by the United hierarchy to take over on a long-term basis.
Solskjaer does have an agreement in place to stay on if his six-month spell in charge is a success but regardless of whether he remains, Neville says the Norwegian has a major role to play.
Ole’s job in the next six months is to be head coach, head scout, head of recruitment and making sure he feeds back really good information into the recruitment department of what the club needs,” he told Sky Sports’ Gary Neville Podcast of his former team-mate.
“My concern over the last three to four years is who has been signing the players.
“That needs cleaning up and I am certain the club in the next six months will appoint the right people who are best in class to run that side of things.
“Manchester United have to start getting it right otherwise they will struggle, but it was a good start yesterday.”
Having never managed to score five times in any of Mourinho’s 144 games in charge, United reached the landmark in the opening 90 minutes of Solskjaer’s tenure.
Though United showed a greater amount of freedom in their first game since the exit of the Portuguese boss, Neville insists the 20-time English champions are far from out of the woods.
He added: “The hard work starts now for United. Anybody who thinks sacking Jose Mourinho is the answer, it is not, the hard work starts now and I am sure the people in the club are wise enough and knowledgeable to know that.
There was an immediate bounce and impact from Ole, however it was Cardiff and we need to see if they can do it over six months.
“If they can do that then they will get the opportunity to play for the club next season.
“If they do it over six games and then drop back they won’t play for the club next season.”
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