Ince: Solskjaer is nothing special, I could have done that job at Man Utd

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have revitalised Manchester United, but Paul Ince claims things “couldn’t get any worse” after Jose Mourinho and anybody could have overseen an improvement.

After taking the decision to part with a Portuguese coach in December, the Red Devils turned to a familiar face for inspiration.

The club’s 1999 Treble-winning hero has enjoyed a dream start to an interim post, with a 1-0 victory over Tottenham last time out stretching a faultless run to six successive wins.

Solskjaer has earned plenty of plaudits for turning things around and bringing the best out of the likes of Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford, but Ince believes he could have done the same job.

The former Red Devils midfielder told Paddy Power: “We can’t get too sucked in with what Ole’s done.

“Let’s be honest, it couldn’t get any worse at Manchester United before Jose Mourinho left.

“There was a dark cloud over the entire club, the players, the fans and the staff. It was impacting performances on the pitch.

“Ole’s come in, a friendly face at the club with a calming influence and it seems as though the players have upped their effort as a result.

“The shackles are off, but that doesn’t mean that Ole is the right man for the job.

“I could have gone in and done the same thing, so could Steve Bruce.

“Anyone could have gone in and done what he has done, it wasn’t a hard thing to do to give those players freedom and improve the mood.”

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With Ince yet to be convinced that Solskjaer has earned an extended stay in the Old Trafford hot-seat, he still believes that a more experienced coach – such as Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino – should be sounded out.

He added: “For the next few years what the club need to do is bring in a manager that can seriously get United competing with City and Liverpool. And of the options available, Pochettino is the man to do that.

“The club shouldn’t be making rash decisions, picking a manager just because he’s had six wins on the bounce, all of which came against below average sides bar one.

“You’d like to think that even under Mourinho they’d have won those games.

“If he gets the club into the top four, and into the final of the Champions League, then that would be the time when the board should be swayed. But we need to be careful not to get carried away – the decision shouldn’t be made just yet.

“If Pochettino is available, then I believe he should be Man United’s number one choice for the job and they should do whatever they can to get him.

“And do I think he’d want to come to United? Of course I do.”