Now’s the time for Ole’s United to really show how far they’ve come

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to enter the defining period of his time in the hot seat at Old Trafford.

The Norwegian has impressed massively in his short stint. The fans are loving it and the football has been great.

United have got their old swagger back, which was massively evident at the Emirates recently and they’re playing with pace and precision, just like the old days.

They salvaged a draw against Burnley with late goals when they really didn’t deserve it and even held on for a hard fought win at Leicester.

It all feels very Fergie. But what did Fergie do? Fergie won things. And that’s surely got to be the challenge for Ole now.

Ed Woodward must be giving serious consideration to giving Ole the job full-time. And he may have already made his mind up. But this is Ed and who knows what he’ll do. The former banker sees himself as a player on the global football market capable of attracting anyone to the club, so he may have set his sights higher.

It’s really hard to tell what a man with no real football knowledge will do. It’s time for Ole to definitively make the decision for him. And with the run of games he’s got on now, there’s no time like the present.

Fulham away on Saturday is by no means an easy task and it signals the beginning of a season defining period.

Ole’s men then face PSG at home in the Champions League, followed by Chelsea away in the FA Cup and Liverpool at home in the league. Immediately after the second leg in Paris, they’ve got Arsenal away and Man City at home.

Then there’s a midweek trip to Palace and a home game with Southampton before heading over to France.

To say it’s a tough month and a bit is an understatement. But this is where the most famous team Ole played in thrived and it’s time for his version to do it now too.

If they can acquit themselves well against PSG and get a decent result at home, who knows what can happen in the second leg? Progressing through to the next round at the expense of one of the favourites would be a huge achievement, but it’s the Chelsea game which could be pivotal.

For me, if United can win at Stamford Bridge it will put them in huge contention to win the FA Cup. A trophy under his belt in this short space of time would be remarkable. We all know what a triumph at Wembley did for Fergie’s career at United.

But this is a different time and the top four is more important financially for the club. Now we’re talking Ed’s language. That puts huge importance on the game against Liverpool (plus no one wants them to win the League). If United win that game, the confidence will be sky high and you can bet that City won’t relish coming to Old Trafford as much as they’ve done in recent seasons.

United fans are loving Ole now and could be loving him even more come the end of the season. And then if he does stay, the summer could be a very exciting time. United need to strengthen in a lot of areas. And this summer will be crucial.

You can almost hear some of the arguments that could be put against him when it comes to getting the right signings. They’ll say he’s not experienced enough in the transfer market. They’ll say he’s not a big enough name to get the top players and they’ll say he signed a load of Norwegian no-marks during his time at Cardiff.

Remember when they were saying he’ll probably struggle in the Premier League? Remember when they were saying that he flopped at Cardiff? Remember when they were saying that he’s just a nice guy with a smile?

Well they’re not saying that any more.

Here’s the thing. Look at the turnaround with Pogba, with Rashford and with Martial. Two of those three had one foot out the door. Now all seem firmly back at it. Martial has even signed a new contract, something which would have never happened just a few months ago.

Ole clearly has the nous to get the best out of players. He knows the club and he knows what we need. He probably won’t go after the big boys in the transfer market anyway. He’ll go for the players that will actually make the team better.

And who better to convince players to join United than the man who scored arguably their most famous goal?

Imagine Ole at the wheel full time. Now how good would that feel?