5 Qualities of Solskjaer that make him an ideal Manchester United manager

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is having a dream start to his tenure as a Manchester United manager. The Norwegian has breathed new life to a waning team and has got them firing on all cylinders again.

United have scored 8 goals and conceded 2 in the 2 games under Solskjaer. Under their new manager, they registered 33 shots, with 19 of them on target and had an average of 70% possession. They attempted a total of 1274 passes, with 85% accuracy in the two games. Manchester United's playing style in those games was entirely different from the flaccid ways of Jose Mourinho and this has brightened the mood at Old Trafford.

Even though his appointment is until the end of this season, the Norwegian will be hoping that he can put up a good enough show to be in contention for the full-time post. His impact in the team has been instantaneous and it must have caught the notice of the upper management at Old Trafford.

While the results will have the final say at the end of the season, he has already displayed attributes that has made him stand out among the crowd. Today, we take a look at 5 special qualities that make Solskjaer the ideal man to lead Manchester United

#5 Excellent Motivator

Manchester United v Huddersfield Town - Premier League

Ever since his first press conference, the Norwegian was full of smiles. There was a certain degree of positivity about him that immediately lit up the sad faces at Old Trafford.

His reaction to the questions and his optimism was a welcome change from the gloomy nature of the Mourinho conferences at the later stages of the Portuguese's tenure. If Solskjaer impressed the press during the first meet, he was even more efficient with his handling of the players at the club.

The Norwegian has been a great motivator so far, already getting his team warming up to his tactics. The players who had looked disinterested and lacklustre just a couple of weeks ago, suddenly showed renewed vigour.

The whole team played as a unit and looked to have improved a lot in these few days. All of this was possible because Solskjaer was able to inspire his team and give them a new lease of life.

A good leader is someone who makes his team better by believing in them and instilling positivity among the team members. Solskjaer has done just that in the very little time he has been at Old Trafford as a manager.

This shows that United were correct in selecting him for the job. The Norwegian's ability to motivate the men around him makes him an ideal manager for Manchester United.

#4 Desire to entertain

Under Sir Alex, the Manchester United team realized that its greatest responsibility was to entertain the people who had come to watch them from the stands. The great Scot always asked his player to be brave, to try something audacious and to excite the millions of fans watching them play. The team was seemingly put on duty by their legendary manager to make sure that the hardworking people had a great weekend to relax and unwind with.

In Mourinho's reign, Manchester United had turned pragmatic. All Mourinho wanted was 3 points, it did not matter how it came. 1-0 results were the main goal, even if it meant that there was no entertainment for the fans.

In his quest for the results, the Portuguese sacrificed the excitement that was synonymous with Manchester United. As such, when the results stopped arriving, United were in deep waters.

Solskjaer almost immediately returned United to that old glorious road from the past, a path filled with goals, audacious tricks and wow moments. The results arrived almost instantaneously and Old Trafford was entertained like the days of the old.

The Millions of fans watching from around the world suddenly were enticed again; the United Matchdays became an exciting affair once more. It is this desire of the Norwegian to entertain the fans that makes him the perfect man to be at the helm at Old Trafford.

#3 Attacking Mentality

"Attack, Attack, Attack"

The Old Trafford crowd, disappointed with Jose Mourinho's laid-back approach, had tried to inspire their manager with the rallying cry once. Unfortunately, Mourinho rarely responded in agreement.

For a manager who relied on defensive discipline to see out games and titles, it was perhaps too much to ask for. Sadly, the Old Trafford crowd and the millions of fans watching worldwide were used to United playing an attacking brand of football and never quite took to Mourinho's tactics.

As such, the delight of the United faithful when their club started playing attacking football again under the stewardship of Solskjaer was totally justified. United piled on the pressure on the opposition, showed innovation and spent most of the time in the opposition half in the first two games under the Norwegian.

They were relentless in attack, never slowing down until the very end, courtesy of tired legs. For a club bless with offensive firepower, these tactics unleashed the very best out of the team.

Since he was bred under the tactics of Sir Alex Ferguson, it is only fair that he would instil the same mentality in his players, a quality that makes Solskjaer an ideal fit at United.

#2 Knowledge of the Club's roots

"If you are good enough, you are old enough."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer quoted Sir Matt Busby in his recent press conference, and it was a testament to the Norwegian's knowledge of the club which had given him everything.

It is only fitting that a man who was well accustomed to the ways of Manchester United is now managing the club, steering the team out of dire straits. The Norwegian's understanding of the club's roots makes him the ideal manager for United right now.

He realizes the club's tradition of promoting youth, blending in youngsters along with the few experienced players at his disposal right from the start. Against Huddersfield, he even brought young Angel Gomes off the bench for a runout, a practice that is steeped in United's history.

He has openly stated that he intends to give chances to the youngsters from the youth set-up who are knocking at the door, few of whom interested Jose Mourinho.

Another important attribute of the Norwegian has been his preference for wing play. While Manchester United are not blessed with marauding wingers, Solskjaer has made brilliant use of the fullbacks so far and the whole team has relished the flow through the sides.

#1 Fearlessness

Perhaps the greatest asset that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has displayed so far has been his fearlessness. Few men would have come into a stuttering team and not be cautious. United had let in as many goals as they had scored when the Norwegian joined them.

Their defense was in shambles, the midfield had a lot of questions and the forwards were not firing. Solskjaer would have been forgiven had he opted for a 5 man defense, with a crowded midfield in his first game away at Cardiff City Stadium. The fact that he did just the opposite is what makes him such a good fit at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer opted for Lindelof and Jones in defense, both of whom had been questionable on various occasions, yet he trusted them to do the job. He selected Shaw and Dalot as the fullbacks, young, energetic players who perhaps lacked experience, but had the qualities he liked.

Matic was the only player in the front 6 who had dominant defensive intentions. For the average eye, it was a team steeped in risk. However, it was just Solskjaer displaying his strongest attribute - fearlessness.

Manchester United of the old always played without fear. In fact, it was this quality of the team that infused the opposition hearts with terror and it was a quality that was fed into the team by the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. By displaying the same trait of the man he openly calls his Boss, Solskjaer already looks like an ideal Manchester United manager.

Edited by Sripad