Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Manchester United 2018-19

Matic urges Man Utd to keep 'great manager' Solskjaer

Nemanja Matic has urged Manchester United to appoint “great manager” Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on a permanent basis.

A Treble-winning hero of the club’s past has been back at Old Trafford since December.

Since succeeding Jose Mourinho, the Norwegian has overseen 14 wins from 19 games – guiding the Red Devils back into top-four contention and through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

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Back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Wolves have dampened some of the enthusiasm around a permanent role for the former striker, but Matic believes he remains the right man for the job.

The Serbia international midfielder told ESPN FC on the need to keep Solskjaer and his backroom team of Mike Phelan, Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna: "I think he is a great manager.

"But you have to say also that with Mike, Michael and Kieran, they work very well together. They work as a team. It is not only Ole.

"There are people behind him who help us. I will be happy if he stays, and I hope he will."

Solskjaer’s claims to a full-time deal have been enhanced by notable victories over the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

He has returned a feel-good factor to a club that had seen rifts form under previous coaching regimes, with United considered to be heading in the right direction once more.

Nemanja Matic Luke Shaw Juventus Manchester United Champions League 2018-19Getty Images

Matic added: "When you have good results, the confidence is higher.

"Especially in our team, confidence is very important because we have a lot of young players.

"After winning a few games under Ole, it was easier for us. To be honest, I don't know exactly what he has changed. After we won at Cardiff it was easier for us to play."

Solskjaer has been able to bring the best out of previously underperforming stars such as Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

He has also tweaked the role of Matic slightly, with the 30-year-old having figured prominently alongside Ander Herrera in the Red Devils’ engine room.

A man with two Premier League title successes with Chelsea to his name said of what is demanded of him from United’s current coach: "He asked me to play more forward and to play my game.

"Every game, he has showed my some videos of what I did well and what I can improve. I'm trying to do what he wants from me."

Matic and United will return to domestic action after the international break on Saturday with a home date against Watford.

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