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Man Utd news: Gary Neville reveals when United will make Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decision
MANCHESTER UNITED will not make a decision over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future until April.
That is the verdict of Sky Sports pundit and Manchester United legend Gary Neville.
Solskjaer was unbeaten in his first 10 games in interim charge of United ahead of Saturday’s trip to Fulham.
The Red Devils had closed the gap on fourth-placed Chelsea to just two points.
Neville admits his former team-mate Solskjaer has a much better chance of getting the job full term now than when he started the role.
I think that run of fixtures there is probably the final test I would say, coming out of sort of mid-March into April
And he believes if Manchester United can keep up their recent form, with fixtures against Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and Manchester City coming up, then they will have no choice but to appoint the Norwegian on a permanent basis.
“At the beginning when he first took over he probably had a 25-30 per cent chance of getting the job,” Neville said.
“He’s now I think got a 50-60 per cent chance.
“I think that run of fixtures there is probably the final test I would say, coming out of sort of mid-March into April.
“If Manchester United are still performing the same way, if there’s still that same feeling in the dressing room, the results are still good, then I think it would be very difficult for Manchester United not to give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the job.”
Solskjaer brought former United assistant Mike Phelan back to the club after his appointment.
And Neville believes Phelan will be a great influence on the United dressing room.
“Mike is a calming influence,” he continued.
“Mike is never someone who never gets too carried away if the team win, he’s never one to get too despondent if the team lose.
“I think what he will be for Ole and the players is someone who gives them a comfort.
“Someone who has been there before, lived through the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
“He will just be a good sounding board for Ole.
“Ole is still young in management terms, just to have that level of experience alongside him I think is critical.”