Gary Lineker has hailed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for delivering “the greatest audition in the history of football” at Manchester United.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day programme in the aftermath of United’s 3-1 FA Cup win over Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Friday night, the host agreed with pundits about how the caretaker manager has worked wonders to get the best out of the players.
Lineker said: “They look happy, they look like they’re enjoying their football. It’s the antithesis of what they were at the start of the season.”
Molde manager Solskjaer was initially hired until the end of the season, with United planning a permanent appointment in the summer, and Lineker is stunned by his impact.
“What Solskjaer has done is remarkable,” he said. “It’s probably the greatest audition in the history of football in many ways.”
OPINION
The greatest caretaker spell ever in football? That’s an extraordinary claim from Lineker, albeit one that may have many United fans nodding their heads in agreement following the team’s eight consecutive win under his command. Certainly, the Norwegian’s temporary spell may be the best in Premier League memory, so far, but it is over-egging it to state it has surpassed all other caretaker spells. Certainly he has reinvigorated a group of players who were thoroughly miserable and demotivated in the final days of Jose Mourinho’s soporific reign. Solskjaer wants the job and his audition could not be going better. If this winning run continues, taking United closer to the FA Cup final at Wembley, higher up the Premier League table as they look to nail a tp-four finish and deeper into Europe, Solskjaer’s claims will surely become irresistible. Maybe then the ‘greatest-ever’ can be applied to his short-term reign.