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Man Utd boss Solskjaer had this message for stars after succeeding Mourinho
MANCHESTER UNITED caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has urged his players to “have a bit of fun“ as he begins his five-month tenure at Old Trafford.
That is the opinion of Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson.
The Norwegian coach has been appointed as interim boss until the end of the season, following Jose Mourinho’s sacking on Tuesday.
Solskjaer inherits a talented but out-of-form squad who lie 22 points adrift of table-toppers Liverpool.
A 3-1 loss against the Reds proved the final nail in Mourinho’s coffin, and Solskjaer has been granted a slightly easier fixture to begin his reign, travelling to relegation candidates Cardiff.
It was in the Welsh capital where Solskjaer tasted his only prior experience of management in English football, but his eight-month tenure in South Wales was one to forget.
The Norwegian won just nine of his 30 matches in charge at the Cardiff City Stadium, unable to prevent their slide into the Championship and eventually getting the axe from frivolous owner Vincent Tan.
BBC Sport pundit Lawrenson believes the 45-year-old will have no such problems during his second stint in the Premier League, however, mainly down to the dismal atmosphere which intoxicated United at the end of Mourinho’s reign.
“What a fabulous job for him to have - he cant fail,” Lawrenson said of the former Molde manager on Football Focus.
What a fabulous job for him to have - he cant fail
“The thing with Jose is it was quite obvious he didn’t want to be there.
“And so [Solskjaer] has walked in, talked to the players and said: ‘Come on then, let’s start to play football, let’s have a bit of fun in training.’
“He won’t have players knocking on his door saying: ‘What’s happening to my contract?’ They’ve got some really good players there.”
Ex-United forward Dion Dublin added to Lawrenson’s point, saying: “It’s about getting the players to smile again and enjoy your job - just enjoy your job!
“The big appointment there is not Ole but [assistant manager] Mick Phelan - he’s the one that will be able to bring them back together.
“That gap between the players and managerial staff has been massive and he’ll bring it back again.”