Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has to lot to do to help Manchester United find their lost soul

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment as Manchester United's interim manager was something of a surprise. The Norwegian hasn't had the best of experiences in the Premier League, as Cardiff City fans will recall.

Perhaps that was inexperience. Or perhaps that was simply the wrong team at the wrong time, considering how Malky Mackay's reign had ended, but Solskjaer's time at Cardiff proved to be a rude awakening for him.

However, it served to underline one thing - Solskjaer has his own way of seeing football, a fearless and courageous type at that, and he is willing to implement that no matter what. And it is this thought that should fill United fans with joy.

After having witnessed the drab possession football that Louis Van Gaal served up, followed by Jose Mourinho's brand of defensive tactics, United fans were crying out loud in someone that could instil a positive, attacking mentality into a young but underachieving team.

And United fans' wish to see their team 'Attack, Attack, Attack' might just come true under their new interim boss. It also helps that he knows the club in and out and that he was a former striker himself. Or that he gave Jesse Lingard his chance, oversaw the development of a young Paul Pogba and kept a close eye on an even younger Marcus Rashford.

Solskjaer has a lot of fans seeing hope again. But it is not as simple in real life as it seems. The 45-year-old Norwegian takes over a team that has very little defensive organisation. Taking over following a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool, the new United manager must choose from an uninspiring group of centre-halves that struggle to stay fit.

Then comes the curious case of Nemanja Matic. The Serbian has clearly not been at his best this season, and his lack of mobility is starting to show. Matic's failure to provide an adequate screen for his centre-backs has seen them come under immense pressure when the opponents insist on having the ball. That along with his surprisingly limited passing range this season means United have found it very hard to get the ball out of their own half.

Fred has not been any better either. And for all his qualities it is clear that defensive midfield is not Andreas Pereira's best position. Ander Herrera has been somewhat reliable but erratic. None of this quartet has been at their best this season, and instilling confidence in them will be one of Solskjaer's biggest challenge this season.

That leads us to the attack where United haven't really found their groove since towards the end of last season. A conservative manager, in a conservative formation, have curbed the attacking appetite of a club that was once known for wave after wave of relentless offence.

Romelu Lukaku is lacking confidence and United's young forwards never had the best of relationships with Mourinho. It will, therefore, be one of Solskjaer's priorities to show confidence in these players and allow them to express themselves.

Fluidity in attack against defences that are stacked will be the key, and United's youngsters, Rashford, Lingard and Martial, will hold they key in helping the club return to it's offensive identity.

Of course, Solskjaer biggest priority should be to get the best out of Paul Pogba. The Frenchman had famously fallen out with Jose Mourinho and his performances showed. Often burdened with carrying the team forward, Pogba proved to be lacking and in a conservative formation, completely out of sync this season.

He is undoubtedly United's best player, but might also be their most inconsistent one. Their new interim manager must find a role to help Pogba find his old self, ideally on the left of a midfield three or in the hole as a 10.

Having previously stated that he would build a team around Paul Pogba, it will be interesting to see how the Norwegian does it. However, one thing is pretty clear. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has to lot to do to help Manchester United find their lost soul.