OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER still has work to do to justify being appointed Manchester United’s new permanent manager despite winning nine of his opening 10 games in interim charge, according to former defender Gary Neville.
Victory over Leicester continued the Norwegian’s unbeaten run since taking over from Jose Mourinho, following the Portuguese’s sacking in December.
The only blemish on his record is the 2-2 draw with Burnley, but otherwise it has been the perfect start to Solskjaer’s tenure.
Such has been his impact at Old Trafford the 45-year-old has reportedly leapfrogged Mauricio Pochettino in the race to start next term in the hot seat.
United face a key run of matches against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last 16, Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round and Liverpool in the Premier League in February.
And Neville says a decision over Solskjaer’s future should not be made until after that period, and that it would be premature to give him the job now.
I think that’s far too early [to appoint Solskjaer],” Neville, who made over 600 appearances for United, told Sky Sports.
“If you’d have said to me when he got the job what the chances were as a percentage, I’d have said probably 25%.
“He’s had an incredible run. He’s got a far greater percentage chance now — maybe 50, 60% — but Chelsea away in the FA Cup, PSG in the Champions League, Liverpool, today against Leicester.
“There’s a huge challenge coming in the next five, six weeks and I think the end of March, early April is the right time to assess the body of work that Ole’s done.”
Amid the run of victories, United have played with a freedom they lacked particularly towards the end of Mourinho’s two-and-a-half years in charge.
Neville has been astounded by the turnaround, which has seen the likes of Victor Lindelof, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford recapture their best form.
“He’s lifted the club on and off the pitch,” the ex-England international added. “It’s been an incredible turnaround, which shows you how bad the players felt before.
I never realised how bad the players’ mood could have been to see the response since.
“There were certain players who, under Mourinho, played the best I’ve seen them — the likes of (Victor) Lindelof and (Jesse) Lingard — but you’ve seen what’s happened since.
“Is this the reality of what those players can achieve or are we just seeing a boost? I think the answer is somewhere in between but we’ll see.”
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