Former Manchester United midfielder defends Solskjaer amid fresh Pochettino links

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Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has spoken out on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s work in his time at Old Trafford amid fresh rumours linking Mauricio Pochettino with the job.

The Argentine did tremendous work during his time at Tottenham and it seems only a matter of time before he’s back in the game with a big club.

MORE: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer matches a Sir Alex Ferguson record from 1993 with Man United’s victory over Everton

Given Man Utd’s recent defeats to Arsenal and Istanbul Basaksehir, it’s unsurprising to see Pochettino once again linked with the job by a recent report from the Manchester Evening News.

The Red Devils bounced back against Everton over the weekend, however, and Chadwick believes this result may have bought his old team-mate Solskjaer a bit more time.

Speaking to CaughtOffside, Chadwick also defended the Norwegian tactician for doing a slightly underrated job in difficult circumstances, when bigger and more experienced names like Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal also struggled.

“An essential result (against Everton) – it looked like it could’ve gone either way but I certainly think it’s bought him (Solskjaer) a little bit of time and hopefully he can get a run together now with consistent results and performances to go with it,” Chadwick said.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer helped Manchester United bounce back with a win at Everton

“He’s shown brilliant resilience at times, he’s been under a lot of pressure but his record since being in charge does stand up quite well, particularly against the bigger clubs. The test with any manager comes with the consistency of the results, but he did well last season after a poor start to bring the club back and finish third.

“David Moyes had a more or less impossible job, but Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal – two of the best managers to work in the modern game – Solskjaer stands up quite well against those two, particularly in the conditions he’s been working under, which haven’t been easy at all.”

Solskjaer has also done well to improve on United’s poor recent record in the transfer market, with the likes of Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes in particular looking like fine purchases, with Chadwick singling out Fernandes as perhaps the club’s best signing post-Sir Alex Ferguson.

“He (Fernandes) is definitely up there, the impact that he’s had, his goals and assists stand up to anyone that’s been brought in post-Ferguson,” Chadwick said.

On Maguire, he added: “(He’s) looked so much better after a tough start this season, to come back and look like more of a captain of the team.”

More Stories David Moyes Jose Mourinho Louis van Gaal Luke Chadwick Mauricio Pochettino Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Sir Alex Ferguson