Sir Alex Ferguson should not be excused of blame for Man Utd's failures after him, says Alan Brazil (Image: GETTY)
That’s according to ex-United forward Alan Brazil.
The Red Devils have enjoyed a season of two halves, with the misery of Jose Mourinho’s final three months in charge at Old Trafford contrasted by the fortunes of Solskjaer.
The Norwegian won 14 of 19 matches as caretaker manager before being handed the position permanently last week in reward for his efforts. He followed that up with a 2-1 win over Watford on Saturday in his 20th match in charge but his first as full-time boss.
Solskjaer’s arrival in mid-December has since helped reinvigorate the performances on the pitch, the mood in the dressing room and the atmosphere around the club to lift them back into the top-four fight and into the Champions League quarter-finals.
That was after United had seen three managers come in and fail to restore the glory days of Ferguson, who won 38 trophies in 26 years as manager before retiring in 2013.
David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Mourinho have all since failed - despite delivering three major trophies combined - but Brazil believes Ferguson is partly culpable.
Brazil wrote for Scottish newspaper The Daily Post: “Sir Alex Ferguson’s legacy has been a millstone around Davie Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho’s necks.
“It dragged them all down and out of Old Trafford. But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hasn’t just shouldered the burden of emulating his old gaffer, the wee Norwegian has done it with a smile on his face - and the club has risen to meet old expectations again.
Brazil has praised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for lifting the mood at United (Image: GETTY)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is certainly a popular appointment with the fans (Image: GETTY)
Sir Alex has to take some of the blame for that
Alan Brazil
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“So fair play to Ole for nailing the manager’s job on a permanent basis. He absolutely deserves it.
“Yet I’d be lying if I said I saw it coming when he was handed the caretaker reins. It looked like a placeholder appointment to me, a guy who’s popular with the fans brought in to keep a steady hand on the wheel until the summer.
“Instead, Ole took the handbrake off.
“I’m a big Mourinho fan. Everybody knows that. I’ve never hidden it.
“But the safety-first United he put on the park was never going to sit well with fans on the Stretford End, raised on Sir Alex’s swashbuckling sides. ’Attack, attack, attack,’ sing the Old Trafford punters.
“And that was a huge part of how Ferguson’s teams went about their business, especially at home. That approach has been lacking for a good few years.
Jose Mourinho was one of three Man Utd managers to fail to succeed post-Ferguson (Image: GETTY)
Sir Alex Ferguson remains an influence at Manchester United (Image: GETTY)
Man Utd vs Watford: Solskjaer slammed for 'making excuses'
“Ironically, Sir Alex has to take some of the blame for that as he will have had a hand in choosing the men who have succeeded him.
“Ole has brought back the flamboyance of Fergie’s teams, and the players have responded to it.
“That’s why I think it’s finally time to start talking about Sir Alex’s legacy in a positive way again. It has been too much to bear for some big-name bosses.
“But as an Old Trafford legend, Ole knew what was needed to get the club moving in the right direction again - at least on the training ground and on a match day.
“He has taken a leaf out of his old manager’s book, and it appears to be working.”