David Beckham excited by 'mature' Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United
Sunday 17 March 2019 10:03, UK
David Beckham says he is excited by the "mature" job Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is doing at Manchester United.
Solskjaer has steadied the ship as caretaker manager since Jose Mourinho was sacked in December, leading the club to fifth place in the Premier League and inspiring a memorable comeback victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Beckham played with the Norwegian during one of United's most successful periods, most famously during the 1998-99 treble-winning season, and the former England captain believes Solskjaer's extensive experience at Old Trafford has given him the platform to do well.
"Ole has just come in. He gains that respect from the players because he has done it. He's been there on the biggest stage and won, he's been successful," he said.
"As a manager he's done it in a mature way, a way that is respected by not just younger people but older ones.
"Having the support of The Boss (Ferguson) has also helped him and given him confidence. When you get results like he's had, that's great.
"To see someone that knows the club, that understands the club, come in and do as well as he has done has been great. What he's done makes us as ex-teammates very proud. It's exciting."
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, the pair won five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League together, and Beckham believes the supporters would like to see Solskjaer remain in the job long-term.
"He's just brought the players together and they have responded in the right way, the way the fans had hoped. It's just nice to see Ole do so well," he added.
"It's not down to me to decide, but look at the fans. They've loved all the time he has been the manager so far. They want that to continue."
Solskjaer lost for the third time as United boss on Saturday, when Wolves ended the club's interest in the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory in the quarter-final.
The 46-year-old has won 14 and drawn two of his 19 matches in charge, but he has now suffered back-to-back defeats after losing to Arsenal at the Emirates last Sunday.
United resume Premier League duties on March 30 at home to Watford, before hosting Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on April 10.
