Ole Gunnar Solsjaer’s decision to sell Marouane Fellaini in the January transfer window showed his “fearlessness”, according to Rio Ferdinand.
The former Manchester United defender believes moving Fellaini on at the first opportunity proved that Solskjaer is not afraid to make the big decisions at Old Trafford.
Has Solskjaer got a ruthless side? Four key things to know…
- Fellaini was a favourite of previous manager Jose Mourinho.
- Solskjaer allowed the Belgian midfielder to leave in his very first transfer window in charge.
- Manchester United have won all but two league games since the Norwegian took the helm.
- Ferdinand thinks Solskjaer has shown great leadership by showing a senior player like Fellaini the door.
Many fans had questioned the Belgian midfielder’s place in the United team while Jose Mourinho was still in charge and Solskjaer wasted no time in allowing the senior figure to leave.
In his first transfer window in charge the Norwegian was happy for Fellaini to sign for Chinese Super League outfit Shandong Luneng, despite the fact he had only just signed an extension with the Red Devils.
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Ex-United defender Ferdinand has praised the decision, believing it shows Solskjaer has the right mentality to handle the role at Old Trafford.
“With Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, we can all sit here and say he is the baby faced assassin, but that is just the guise he uses,” the former England defender told Goal.
“Behind that, there is a coldness to him. He won’t shirk responsibility, he won’t shirk a one-on-one to tell someone you are not for me.
“Look at Fellaini. He had been at the club for a number of years, and he has gone in the first window he had an opportunity to get him out.
“That was Ole’s decision, you are not for me. He is not afraid to make those decisions and the top managers at the top clubs all do that.
“We have a manager who is respecting the history and traditions of the football club. It’s a breath of fresh air.”
Manchester United have dropped just four points from a possible 36 available in the Premier League since Solskjaer took over and now have a real possibility of finishing in the top four this season.
Can United progress in the Champions League?
United face a huge test of character when they take on Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.
They trail 2-0 from the first leg and will need to produce a superb performance to turn the tie around and progress.
Ferdinand is not expecting a shock result but also believes the game will not be a deciding factor in regards to Solskjaer’s long-term future.
“It would be a huge result, I think it would be a fantastic result, but I don’t think this result will have any bearing on what judgement there is on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer,” he added.
“When this draw was made, everyone said Man United were out and that’s what will happen. When you look at it before, it was Man United looking down on Paris Saint-Germain in European football.
“Now, PSG will be seen as the bigger team. Not the bigger club, but the bigger team, so the shift is very evident.”
The post Solskjaer showed fearlessness by ending one Man Utd career already – Ferdinand appeared first on Squawka News.
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