Man Utd: That's why I could have done the work of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – Paul Ince

I'm not just an expert who has never run a club – I've been successful in the Premier League and all four English professional divisions, so no one can say I do not know what I'm talking about here.

And, as a manager, I could see the signs that under Mourinho, the players were not happy and that the atmosphere and the environment were not great. Let's be honest, everyone could see it.

My argument was that it was easy for anyone who came next to straighten the boat, lift the players and the locker room – and put the whole club back on track.

When I said that anyone could have come in and done the same thing, I did not want to disrespect Ole.

What I meant by that, was that anybody in charge – for example myself, Mark Hughes or Steve Bruce – could have recognized the problems at Old Trafford and intervened and changed the situation. environment in a positive way.

It's more than just bringing back fun, but you'd like to start by allowing players to play freely and in the right positions.

Ole did all this and obviously made a big difference.

Through his results he has also reached the next level – but even this improvement does not mean that he is the man of choice for the position in the summer.

"Interim managers are rarely the answer in the long run"

I have absolutely nothing against Ole, but when I look at teams that have done something similar and who have appointed permanent positions to interim managers who have quickly reversed the trend, there is little in the way of they lasted a very long time.

Roberto Di Matteo in Chelsea is a good example, as is Craig Shakespeare in Leicester.

Shakespeare was brilliantly successful when he replaced Claudio Ranieri in February 2017, but he quickly disappeared.

Di Matteo was appointed acting director in March 2012, won the Champions League and FA Cup in May, signed an indefinite contract in June – and was sacked in November.

Chelsea thought at the time that what he had won meant that they had to name it but, in the long run, he was the wrong choice.

It could be the same with Solskjaer – no matter what he's doing this season, that does not mean he's the right man to move the club forward.

What happens when things start to go wrong?

It's easy to change the mood of a club, but the real job at United is far more important than that. There is a lot of reconstruction to be done, over the next three or four years, so that they can compete with Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham for the title.

The reality is that we do not know if Solskjaer is the right candidate for this position, and the next four months will not tell us either.

At the moment, there is no pressure on Ole or his players. They have nothing to worry about because the expectations were so low when Mourinho got the bag.

At this point, they had 11 points on the top four, and most United fans thought that being in the top six would be good, whatever their choice.

Ole has arrived and changed what everyone feels, including the fans, and suddenly there is a bit of excitement. The same goes for their hopes of being in the top four.

But we do not know how he handles adversity – when things start to go wrong, when the results fall and when some of his players may start to bite.

This will happen because it happens in all clubs.

"The focus should be on trophies, not on speculation"

I think it's great that United's fans desperately want Solskjaer to get the job, but let's not be in a hurry to give it to him now.

If United ranks among the top four and wins the Champions League or qualifies for the final in Madrid, his name will be highly regarded in the list of candidates selected for Executive Vice President Ed Woodward this summer.

But next month is huge for United, and I'm not talking about Solskjaer job prospects. I'm talking about their hopes of winning a trophy this season. That's what the focus should be on now, and he alluded to it himself.

Solskjaer has already said that silverware was his target, and what fascinates me is that they have a real chance to play in the FA Cup and in Europe.

Mourinho was still United's coach in the draw for the last 16 games of the Champions League. If you ever asked me when they were going to pbad Paris St-Germain, I would have said that they were not going there.

Now, because of the way they play, I start to believe it again.

I think the team is beginning to believe in them too. Game by game, their confidence grows. Unlike in the days when Mourinho was in charge, they play as a team, on behalf of their manager and at levels as they should be.

Of course, this has seen the fans claim that Ole gets the job permanently, but if he wants to succeed this season, he will, as well as the United players, ignore all these discussions.

For me, everyone gets along with United, who plays the same way as recently, and who continues to try to improve the team.

Let's see where they are at the end of the season, then Woodward will have a decision to make.

Why Pochettino should be United's next manager

United can not afford to name another manager and send it back after two years or less.

Compared to their rivals, they have declined in recent years, while City, Liverpool and the Spurs have all progressed.

They are going in the right direction now, but they still have a lot of work to do to get closer to these teams.

So who should get United's work during the summer? My choice would be Mauricio Pochettino because he has proven himself as a Premier League manager for several seasons. Solskjaer does not do it.

And whatever United needs from his next manager, we know that Pochettino can do it – based on what we've seen from him in Tottenham.

He can form a team capable of fighting for the title and playing the right football style. We saw what the Spurs did to United at Wembley last month – yes, United won thanks to David de Gea's talent in goals, but that's how I want to see a United team play .

And although I'm not saying that Solskjaer absolutely should not get the job, I just think it would be a gamble, while Pochettino has the kind of resume you'd like from a man who should be the United manager for four or five years.

That's how United should think now. They were wrong during their last three meetings, so they must have the next one.

Paul Ince is entrusted to Chris Bevan of BBC Sport.