Paul Ince: Ole has worked ‘miracles’, give him the job soon or cause an outrage

Former Man United captain Paul Ince still believes he was right to say Steve Bruce or Mark Hughes could’ve done the same job though...

First and foremost, what a result that was for Man United over PSG. When you consider the team that they had to put out and to get the result they did – it was fantastic, nothing short of amazing.

Everything seemed to go United’s way, yes, but that’s the luck you need. No one can take this victory away from them based on VAR or mistakes for the goals, they were set up to make it as difficult as possible for PSG and to win.

It’s not about what happens in the game, it’s about who goes through. Do you think United fans will care about whether or not that was a penalty? No, they won’t.

Ole should be at the wheel permanently – he’s worked miracles

After the first few games for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford, I thought it was a bit premature to start saying he should get the job.

We knew there was a cloud hanging over the club, we knew that the players were unmotivated and unhappy.

But, no one expected United to do what they did in Paris, and that’s down to Ole. He’s getting the best out of his players, and he used the right squad and tactics when under a lot of pressure last night. For me, looking at it now, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t get the job.

The only other person you could give it to is Mauricio Pochettino, but the fans want Ole.

And if you come in and do what he’s done – getting United to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the FA Cup, and into top four in the Premier League – he’s got to be the number one choice.

The most important thing is the Man United fans though, and they’re happy for the first time in a long time, so why would you want to change that?

It would cause outrage if they didn’t go with him.

Though I believe they should decide soon. When you see the reports where the Molde CEO is saying he expects Ole back, but the United fans are calling for him to be named permanent manager, just put it to bed and appoint him now.

Are they waiting until the end of the season to see if they can get someone else? If they’re not, then just come out and give him the job! He’s worked miracles.

No one is right to say I was wrong – Ole has taken the job to another level though

When I said ‘anyone’ could’ve done the job Ole has done before, I didn’t literally mean anyone.

That’s been taken completely out of context. What I said was that someone like Mark Hughes or Steve Bruce, who has the history and spirit of the club, could have gone in there initially and turned it round.

The team were down in the dumps, unhappy and weren’t playing the way they wanted to play. We all knew that.

If I’d have gone into United, I’d have done exactly what Ole did. I’d have got a smile back on the players’ faces, got them enjoying training again, and told them to go out and play the way they want to play.

That wasn’t hard to resolve, because we saw the negativity coming out of Old Trafford.

Steve Bruce would’ve done exactly the same thing. They know the United way. I’m not saying any Tom, Dick or Harry could’ve come in. I’m talking about players who’ve played for the club and gone on to manage – that’s the point I was making.

Me and Brucey have managed and we’ve been to a club where we’ve had to turn it around.

It’s because you know all the issues between the players and the managers, you know the in-fighting and the problems, so it’s a case of getting the team back on side.The early fixtures helped Ole too.

No one is right to say I was wrong – everyone is entitled to their opinion. My opinion was my opinion.

As I said, initially, getting the players smiling was the first phase for Ole. I still believe anyone could have done that that knows the United way. What I would admit is, since then, Ole has taken it to another level. We expected them to beat the first so-called lesser teams that they played.

But, now, what we’re seeing is he’s taken it to a completely different level. That love for Ole from the players, that change of mood, it hasn’t worn off. It’s just got better and better, and I’m over the moon about it.

The last thing I want to see is Man United struggling – and now I look and I can see a lot of positivity.

Ole has completely changed the environment they were in because clearly, it was negative under Jose Mourinho. Players should want to love coming to training, and now they do.

If you were saying to me that Mourinho had been at the club for years and he’d won a load of trophies and titles, then Ole comes in, it’s a much more difficult job. It was completely the opposite, which made it easier for him to come in.

At the end of the day, what I said made sense. Someone who knew the club could have improved the mood there, but Ole has taken that to another level.

I never said Ole wasn’t the right man, I just said he needs to prove himself over a period of time before a rash decision is made. But I think he’s done that now – I really, really do.

Lukaku’s best in a United shirt, he must do that every week

A player who deserves enormous credit is Romelu Lukaku.

He was on his toes and ready for his goals. Yes, they were mistakes, but you’ve still got to finish them. A lot of players stand and wait, and see what happens – but not Lukaku.

He was outstanding – his best game in a United shirt. It’s the Lukaku we need to see week-in, week-out, the Lukaku that they paid the transfer fee for. It wasn’t just about his goals, it was about his work-rate, his retention of the ball, his strength.

He was a complete handful and displayed everything that you want in a striker.

He’s really turned it around because when Ole joined, people were convinced he’d choose to go with Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard.

People were sure it was the end of his United career, but he’s resurrected it.

He knew he was fighting for his place, and he’s seen an opportunity to get back into the team. The Belgian has taken it and he deserves massive credit for that.

It’s easy for players just to sulk when they’re not in the side or blame other people, it’s tougher to dig your heels in and make it impossible for the manager not to pick you.

Now, the challenge for him is that we see that every week.

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