Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer started 2020 with the dreadful possibility of getting sacked. His favored replacement, Mauricio Pochettino, seemed ready to take on the job In January, but then the Red Devils' fortunes suddenly changed.
The arrival of Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo in the same month triggered United's scorching run of 15 unbeaten matches, with their latest victory coming against Brighton on Tuesday.
Suddenly, the gloom that marked the first half of the season disappeared, and the growing chorus of criticism the Norwegian had to endure turned into praise.
Now, notable pundits are saying United has a strong chance of finishing the Premier League season in the top three, which would earn the squad a ticket to the Champions League next season. Solskjaer has essentially erased the humiliation of the sixth-place finish last season that closed the door on the prestigious competition.
Paul Parker, the Norwegian's former teammate at Old Trafford, said Solskjaer has more than just silenced the critics. "He has put smiles back on people's faces, done a lot of homework and worked to know what United needed off the pitch," Goal reported the former United defender as saying.
Parker added that Solskjaer deserves credit for the club's resurgence. Even rivals now view the Red Devils as serious contenders for the upcoming campaigns, chiefly because Solskjaer worked with grace under pressure and focused on his rebuilding mission.
As the pieces of the United puzzle begin to fit snugly into place, it's only appropriate that Solskjaer's former critics offer him a pat on the back. But Parker said most of them are now agonizing in silence, realizing that they had spoken too soon.
In any case, it's business as usual for Solskjaer. The boss is laser-focused on concluding the campaign with the hope of not losing again. Another priority is the beefing up of the roster and reports said the signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa is a done deal.
The next target for the manager to bring to Old Trafford is Borussia Dortmund ace Jadon Sancho. The 20-year-old winger is certainly a fantastic would-be acquisition, but according to Dimitar Berbatov, there's no need for the club to hire another talented goalscorer.
That's because Mason Greenwood is already part of the roster, and Berbatov said the youngster is shaping up to be United's next superstar.
"He's getting better ... You can see clearly that he's maturing and improving, he's only 18 still so we will see more from him," Mirror reported the former United striker as saying.
The Bulgarian added he is convinced Greenwood will turn out to be United's next Cristiano Ronaldo.
