John O’Shea on why he always knew Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would make a good manager

"I'd be amazed if he doesn’t get the job."

John O'Shea has praised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his work as Manchester United caretaker manager and tipped his former teammate to be given the role on a permanent basis in the summer. Since stepping into the dugout at Old Trafford back in December, Solskjaer has overseen a dramatic improvement in United's form. The team are currently in fourth place in the Premier League. When Solskjaer took over, United were in sixth place with 26-points, eight points away from the top-four. In the Norwegian's time as manager, no team in the Premier League has gained more points (32) and United have only lost one of his 16-games as coach - a 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League last-16 tie. In addition to the results on the pitch, and a renewed emphasis on attacking football, the mood around the club has also significantly improved. It now seems inevitable that Solskjaer will be given the job permanently and he has O'Shea's backing. "There’s no potentially about it, he’s a good manager," O'Shea said about his former teammate.

"He had that experience initially with the United reserve team, and I think he's getting the benefit of that spell at Cardiff too, the not so nice experience he had there. “But then to come in and change around the club that he would have known very well. To have that reaction that he got, not just because he’s a good fella and a nice fella, it’s because he’s a good manager and a good coach. I'd be amazed if he doesn’t get the job. "He has a tough one this week against PSG, but apart from that, his results have been incredible."

Solskjaer and O'Shea were teammates for eight seasons at Old Trafford. Between them, they made almost 800 appearances for United, won 11 Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two European Cups. Neither were guaranteed first-choice starters for Alex Ferguson's team, but players the Scot knew he could depend on and who could feature in several different positions. O'Shea said he always felt Solskjaer had the qualities to be a good manager. "Yeah, just because of how he looked at everything," the former Republic of Ireland defender continued.

"His preparation for games but also his determination, his perseverance in training as well. "The little angles he was able to look at, whether he was ready to come on in games and different things and spot certain situations, he has taken that into the management side of things, and it’s been fantastic."

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Former Republic of Ireland international John O'Shea was named as the Tournament Ambassador for the upcoming UEFA Under-17 European Championship. The tournament, which takes places from May 3rd to May 19th, will see matches held in Dublin, Longford and Waterford, with the final at Tallaght Stadium.

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