Solskjaer's Cardiff adventure is the first step to follow in Sir Alex's footsteps

The ‘Baby-faced assassin’ is now back in the Premier League as a manager to test his mettle not just against Premier League opponents but also against a comical owner in the form of Vincent Tan – who is more inclined to change club colours rather than buy useful players – to take Cardiff to safety. If anyone can stop this highly successful Malaysian businessman from ruining a very good football club it has to be be Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who, in his first few days with the club, has looked completely in control of the situation and not letting Tan run the show. Certainly a Ferguson-esque start by the former Molde boss. He has made it clear he will have the final say when it comes to football matters and that there will be no repeat of the injustice meted out to Malky Mackay.

It is a bit surprising to note that when he had the opportunity to manage a more coveted club like Aston Villa in 2012, Solskjaer turned it down for the simple reason he did not want to unsettle his family from his Molde home. It is in fact now a case of waiting for the right moment to step into the ruthless world of Premier League management and for a wonderful reader of the game that Ole is it is entirely expected that one of Premier League’s most lethal finishers wanted to have enough experience before managing a Premier League club.

Managing Cardiff City is his first shot at his most prime ambition – to manage Manchester United in the near future. For a man as credible and astute as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, being ambitious is his potent weapon and Cardiff is his gateway towards an assault on the most coveted job in the world, and the man himself has made no qualms about his ultimate aim.

David Moyes is Sir Alex’s hand picked successor and the former Everton boss deserves that and with six years in his contract the Scotsman has ample time to follow in the footsteps of the great Scot that he succeeded. But Manchester United need a personality as strong and potent as Ferguson and with 235 appearances for a club spanning a decade Ole Gunnar Solskjaer certainly fits the bill given his ruthlessness in being a great advert of the game just as he was during his playing days at Old Trafford.