Former Manchester United defender Antonio Valencia has admitted that Norwegian Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can overcome recent hiccups and build a formidable Manchester United team for the future.
The Red Devils drew 3-3 against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday and that result left them the ninth place on the Premier League table after 13 matches.
Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino was sacked by Tottenham Hotspur but his sudden availability has increased the level of scrutiny on the 46-year-old Solskjaer. Although the baby faced assassin was a popular appointment when he took the job on a full-time basis in March results have been far from impressive this term along with the football.
Ecuadorian right-back Valencia was club captain for Manchester United at the time Solskjaer was appointed on a permanent basis and continues to believe the under-pressure Norwegian will prove a success comparing to his association with the Sir Alex Ferguson era which brought plenty of success to the red half of Manchester.
While speaking to The Athletic, the 34-year-old Valencia stated that Solskjaer has what it takes to bring the club back to its glory days, “He knows what a United player should be: he must have character, personality, the heart of a winner. United need to get this feeling back. When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arrived, he came with Ferguson traits; tactically, the mentality, the players felt freer and he gave us more confidence. When the decision was made to keep him permanently, it was absolutely what the players wanted.
Valencia, who left United in the summer also added that he is sure of Solskjaer to succeed explaining that he is bringing together the new generation of players, “He has been there less than a year. He is putting together a team to compete. I have no doubts he will do that. He is a very good coach, he knows what he wants, he is a disciple of Ferguson’s school, he is bringing these lessons to a new generation of players.”
