Solskjaer’s Manchester United side turned their season around in the second half of the campaign and did not lose a league game after January, to finish third in the Premier League.

 

The Manchester United boss is now chasing a trophy in the form of the Europa League and will be taking on Solbakken’s Copenhagen in the quarter-final tonight in Cologne.

 

 

Solbakken is happy for his former Norway team-mate and believes the calmness Solskjaer has shown is directly down to the fact that Manchester United are backing his long term vision.

 

He insisted that his compatriot has been afforded the time to concentrate on a project rather than face the prospect of just surviving in his role at Manchester United.

 

 

Solbakken told The Athletic: “Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a friend of mine — we played in the national team.

 

“It’s interesting to see his calmness and how United are giving him time and looking to the long term.

 

 

“Ole is allowed to think of it as a project and not just about having to win the next game to survive.

 

“That has been the key to their success after the lockdown.”

 

Solskjaer is eyeing winning the Europa League this month as a further sign of progress at Manchester United, with speculation over him being replaced having melted away.