Things could not have gone better for Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer since he took over as their boss just before Christmas. The former player has taken over the reins at United on a caretaker basis until the end of the season, and already he is showing why he should be considered for the job on a full time basis in the summer.

He has guided the club to six wins from his first six games in charge, and the biggest and best of those came last weekend when he took his team to Wembley to beat Tottenham 1-0. The feel good factor around this club is back, and both the fans and players appear to be loving this, and things are going better as a result.

I don’t think Solskjaer has come in and done anything too ground breaking in terms of tactical play or team selection, he has simply brought enjoyment back to the game for his players, which in turn has made the fans enjoy things a lot more. There is no longer a division between the fans, players, management team and the board, everyone appears to be on the same page and to do that so quickly deserves a lot of credit.

Opponents Brighton are coming into this one in 13th position and at the moment they can relax a little as they are away from the relegation trouble. They are only eight points clear though, so there is still work to do but anything on top of survival this season would be seen as a bonus. If fans want to worry a little then they will look at the fact they have won just one of their last five games, and if they can improve that record, finding safety will come a lot quicker. As we approach the final stages of the season, those below them are going to improve and find a way to win as they scrap for survival, and that could mean that Brighton get dragged into it, depending on their own performances.

After surviving last season, they do look on course to do the same again this season, which means two solid back to back Premier League seasons. The long term goal for Brighton is to become established in the league and move away from the bottom three each season, and it is fair to say that this season has been an improvement on last season, which is what they need to keep doing.

Who Will Get the Manchester United Manager’s Job in the Summer?

As we go through the second half of the Premier League season and into the summer period, talk about who is going to get the Manchester United job on a full time basis is only going to intensify. I think bringing in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the short term position was exactly the right thing to do, and a good move by the club but I am not sure whether he is the right man for the job long term.

Teams at the top who are looking for a new manager are always looking for someone to help them qualify for the Champions League and also challenge for the league title. If that is what is required, and the team looking for a new manager is Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool or anyone else at the top then there is no way that they would even consider Solskjaer as a candidate, because he simply doesn’t have the CV to warrant being in contention for such a job.

He is being given an opportunity to show that he is capable of working at the top of the Premier League, but based on what he has done so far in his career, he hasn’t shown that he is a manager who can succeed there. While Solskjaer may do a great short term job, which looks a likely scenario given how he has started, there still has to be a question mark hanging over whether he is a good enough manager to get a job like the Manchester United one.

The problem with a short term appointment, especially one that is so popular with the fans is that the board may be forced into a corner, and have no choice but to emply Solskjaer long term. If, for example, Solskjaer guides Manchester United into the top four this season, they continue to play the attractive football that the fans love and he continues to make the players happy and has them wanting to play for Manchester United, the board could have a tough decision to make. Do they stick with the man who is doing everything right, but may not be the best manager and tactician in the league, or do they risk disruption and annoying the fans by letting a fans favourite leave in favor of someone else?

Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham has been linked with the United job and the work he has done with Spurs shows that he would be an excellent candidate. Back when Jose Mourinho was sacked, many United fans wanted Pochettino as his replacement. However, assuming Solskjaer has a good season, would that still be the case for them, or would they want the club favourite Solskjaer to remain? Could United find themselves in a position where they would like Pochettino but they can’t release Solskjaer and go for him due to the risk of upsetting the players and fans?

Manchester United vs Brighton Betting Tips

With six wins out of six games on the board, Manchester United should be heading into this game full of confidence that they can record another victory against a team that they should be beating. While the defensive play of United has often been criticised and is a weak point of theirs, Solskjaer has them playing a simple game and they have three clean sheets this month. There is every reason to believe that they can add another clean sheet here on their way to victory so not only am I backing Manchester United to win the game, but I am also backing them to win to nil.

This is a very different Mancheste United team to the one that we saw under Jose Mourinho, both in terms of overall quality and confidence and their defensive setup. Those two things cam combine together on Saturday to give Manchester United another victory as well as another clean sheet, taking them to four clean sheets in a row.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues to do well, and he can land his seventh win in a row as United manager here.

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