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The Red Devils boss has seen questions asked of his future this season, but victories over Tottenham and Man City have earned him breathing room again
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has earned more time at Manchester United, says fellow Norwegian Jan Age Fjortoft, and the Red Devils should prove an “attractive” proposition for Erling Haaland as he weighs up his next move.
Questions had been asked of the 1999 treble winner and his immediate future during the early weeks of 2019-20.
Struggles for consistency saw many ponder whether Solskjaer was the right man for one of the most demanding coaching roles in world football.
He has, however, overseen back-to-back victories over Tottenham and Manchester City of late to quieten the talk of somebody such as Mauricio Pochettino being appointed in his place.
Fjortoft expects his countryman to receive the backing he needs when in a position to add to his squad once more, with those at Old Trafford aware that there is no quick fix in a serious rebuilding job.
“The balance for Solskjaer is planning long-term and winning short-term. He needs to have both of those going his way and that is not always easy when you are working with young players who may not be consistent,” Fjortoft told the Irish Independent .
“I think the leaders of the club would like this project to succeed with Ole Gunnar, but we all know that you have to win football matches when you are Manchester United manager.
“The media, the fans, the board all put the pressure on if you don’t get results at a big club like that and Ole Gunnar knows that. What he has done in the last week will certainly give him some time to build his project at United going into the next transfer window.
“Solskjaer has had some criticism at Manchester United, but he has tended to have good timing when he has won games.
“The win against Tottenham was massive. Playing against Jose Mourinho, the manager coming back to Old Trafford and trying to win a game that would have put big pressure Solskjaer at a time when people were questioning him.
“It was very symbolic for Solskjaer to beat Mourinho, for sure and now he has to keep winning big games, as that is what is expected at Manchester United.”
As revealed by Goal, United are targeting another Norwegian in January as they aim to bring in Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg.
Fjortoft is not surprised by the furore surrounding the striker, but concedes that the teenager could end up in Germany – with talks having already been held with Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig .
“The links with United are inevitable given his past association with Solskjaer [at Molde] and I think the way United are working at the moment would be attractive for him,” added Fjortoft.
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“They are looking to develop young players and are signing the best talent in Europe and there is no doubt at this moment Haaland is in that category when you see what he has done in the Champions League this season.
“It is all about picking the right club now. I expect him to move in January because any club scout who is not looking at a 19-year-old with this much potential needs to be fired, so he will have options.
“I know Borussia Dortmund are very interested, but it is up to Team Haaland now to decide what happens next. They turned down a move to Juventus when he moved to Salzburg as they felt he would develop better playing regular first-team football and they got that decision right. Now they have another choice to make.”
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