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Paul Ince Plays Down Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Impact At Manchester United

Paul Ince Plays Down Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Impact At Manchester United

The former Manchester United midfielder thinks he or Steve Bruce would have done just as good a job taking over from Jose Mourinho.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

Paul Ince doesn't think that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is doing that good a job at Manchester United and reckons that he'd be doing the same job, as would former teammate Steve Bruce.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might not be the messiah but it's fair to say he isn't a very naughty boy either. The interim Manchester United manager certainly seems to have turned things around at Old Trafford.

That's not to say that Solskjaer's been perfect as United boss but he's doing a pretty good job considering how quickly everything's clicked into place.

Before the weekend the former Molde manager was being criticised for the quality of opposition that he'd beaten with Cardiff, Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Reading being the sides United had beat.

On Sunday though that was all put to bed as the Red Devils beat Mauricio Pochettino's title challenging Spurs 1-0 at Wembley.

However now Paul Ince is actually questioning how much difference Solskjaer is actually having. Writing in his Paddy Power column the former United midfielder said:

"We can't get too sucked in with what Ole's done.

"Let's be honest, it couldn't get any worse at Manchester United before Jose Mourinho left. There was a dark cloud over the entire club, the players, the fans and the staff. It was impacting performances on the pitch.

"Ole's come in, a friendly face at the club with a calming influence and it seems as though the players have upped their effort as a result.

"The shackles are off, but that doesn't mean that Ole is the right man for the job. I could have gone in and done the same thing, so could Steve Bruce.

"Anyone could have gone in and done what he has done, it wasn't a hard thing to do to give those players freedom and improve the mood."

Steve Bruce was sacked at Aston Villa earlier this season. Image: PA Images
Steve Bruce was sacked at Aston Villa earlier this season. Image: PA Images

It is literally no surprise to see Ince mention Bruce. When Solskjaer was given the job in December the 'Guvnor' expressed displeasure that his former teammate wasn't given the role, saying: "If you're picking someone for the caretaker manager, I believe they'd got to have managed previously and have a deep understanding of what it means to be at Man United..If it was me? I'd pick Steve Bruce today

"He's not working at the moment, and he had seven or eight years at the club. He's been a very good, successful manager and he more than many understands what it's like to be a United player."

The reason Bruce was out of work was because his most recent job at Aston Villa had gone completely pear shaped with the former Birmingham City boss at the helm.

Bruce has since got his next job, at Sheffield Wednesday, but was unable to start straight away because of a prior personal engagement to watch England play cricket in the West Indies, hardly the ideal candidate at Old Trafford.

The whole thing is quite embarrassing by Ince who apparently just wants his mate to get the job, let it go lad!

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Topics: Spurs, Football News, Steve Bruce, Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho, Manchester United, English Football, Premier League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer