Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is constantly scrutinised for the job he is doing as Manchester United manager.
This is understandable, given the heightened expectations at a club of this stature and the short CV that he brought with him from Molde.
Despite an unbeaten run of eleven games and the fact United are still fighting on three fronts this season, the club are facing their worst points total in a Premier League campaign since David Moyes was in charge.
But after an encouraging run of results and performances, United fans can be afforded a sense of cautious optimism and their confidence comes in Solskjaer’s recruitment strategy.
The Norwegian’s five signings can so far all be deemed as relative successes, which he deserves credit for.
The signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka has all but solved United’s long-term right-back problem and there is still huge scope for improvement in the youngster.
Daniel James, meanwhile, may not have the goal return that would have been expected given the number of games he has played. But he has dealt with the step up from Championship football at Swansea City extremely well and will always stretch defenders.
Harry Maguire came from Leicester City with impressive leadership qualities and was quickly instated as captain.
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January signings Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo have also been huge hits so far, with Ighalo enjoying a fruitful start to his loan spell and Fernandes completely revitalising the attack in the number 10 role
And the success of Solskjaer’s transfers hasn’t been by accident either; ESPN claim a key part of the club’s recruitment strategy has changed since Jose Mourinho was sacked last December.
According to Mark Ogden, the club now places ‘as much importance on a prospective signing’s personality as his talent’, and a key criteria in every scouting report is now their character.
Solskjaer is clearly trying to promote a togetherness in the dressing room through signing players that are willing to fight for the club.
While the quality of a player has to be at the forefront of a manager’s mind when wanting to make a signing, Solskjaer’s salient recognition of character is working well so far.
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