Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be named as Manchester United’s next permanent manager, according to reports in the British media. The Sun is reporting that the Red Devils have decided that the Norwegian is the right man for the job after his brilliant start to life as interim boss. The same article says that although the decision has been made by Manchester United chiefs, it may not be officially announced until the end of the current season. Manchester United have been in superb form since Solskjaer was brought in as the club’s interim boss following the sacking of Jose Mourinho back in December. The Red Devils are unbeaten in the Premier League and are currently in fourth place in the table as they chase Champions League qualification for next season. Manchester United have won 10 of their 11 games under Solskjaer and look like a completely different team to the one that was struggling under Mourinho before Christmas. According to the same story, news of the decision will end the speculation linking Mauricio Pochettino with the Manchester United job. Meanwhile, Manchester United are currently preparing for their home clash against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday night. MORE: Latest Manchester United news and views MORE: Football transfer rumours and gossip<doc-sep>OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER will be named the full-time manager of Manchester United. SunSport understands the decision has now been made at board level, although the club may not announce it until the end of the season. 3 Solskjaer is set to become the permanent Manchester United manager Credit: Getty - Contributor United are publicly sticking to the mantra that the search for Jose Mourinho’s permanent successor remains ongoing. But the hunt is over with co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer now convinced they have the right man for the job in Solskjaer. Avram Glazer travelled from America to be at United’s 3-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday. He spoke with Solskjaer after the game in the dressing-room, having already talked to the interim chief’s agent Jim Solbakken, who had sat with the directors as a guest of United. 3 Interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be confirmed as Manchester United boss - although club chiefs are not revealing anything yet publicly Credit: AP:Associated Press 3 Players like Paul Pogba have looked rejuvenated under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Credit: Reuters The news will end speculation that Mauricio Pochettino could be tempted away from Spurs to Old Trafford next summer. That plan has changed on the back of Solskjaer’s dramatic impact — winning ten of his 11 games since taking over in mid-December and lifting United back into the Champions League spots. They now sit fourth, albeit nine points behind Tottenham and 14 adrift of Manchester City and Liverpool.<doc-sep>Ever since Manchester United finally sacked Jose Mourinho, Tottenham fans have been living with the media-driven narrative of Mauricio Pochettino leaving Spurs to head to the Theater of Dreams. It’s been like an anvil hanging over the heads of the club — Pochettino was considered the front runner by the Glazer family to take over on a permanent basis this summer while interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, himself on loan from Molde, kept the trains running on time. But then the Baby-Faced Assassin did something nobody expected — he won. A lot. And now, according to Miguel Delaney in the Independent, Solskjaer is holding talks with United’s ownership to assume the managerial position full time. Speaking as a (somewhat) neutral, it’s hard to say he doesn’t deserve it. Solskjaer has taken a team of talented but underachieving United players that were floundering under Mourinho and propelled them into the top four. And it appears that it’s more than just putting an arm around their collective shoulders and saying “Go have fun out there” — whatever he’s doing, it’s working. The report also states that Solskjaer has lept to the front of the queue not only because of his performance and status as a United legend, but also because Pochettino would be prohibitively expensive to get, costing up to £50m to pry him away from Spurs. But most importantly, if this report is accurate, it would finally mean the media can stop linking Pochettino to a managerial position at another Premier League club and go back to linking Pochettino to the managerial position at Real Madrid and PSG. That might not sound like an improvement, but oh buddy, it really, really is.<doc-sep>Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has held discussions with the Glazer family and Manchester United hierarchy in the last week regarding taking the job full-time at the end of the season. Although the club previously had little intention of making the Old Trafford legend permanent manager in December, he has proven so convincing that a series of key sources now see it as almost inevitable. United officials have been especially impressed with the way Solskjaer has the major investments - like Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial - actually performing like world-class players who are now justifying their price, and more generally the mood around the club. The feelings of happiness and progress, as well as positive media coverage and fan reaction, have also been influential. Key to the thought process is also the knowledge that Mauricio Pochettino would be hugely difficult to get, but there is now more to it than that. Champions League power rankings Show all 9 1 /9 Champions League power rankings Champions League power rankings Ranking the last eight teams in the Champions League Who is most likely to win the tournament as we reach the knockout stages? AFP/Getty Images Champions League power rankings 8. Porto The outsiders, who every other team will most want to draw, but showed vs Roma that the Dragao EPA Champions League power rankings 7. Ajax Fearless youth and exceptional talent stunned Real Madrid, though it will be tough to repeat AFP/Getty Images Champions League power rankings 6. Tottenham Efficiently dispatched Dortmund in both legs, showing they are now calm when under pressure at this level AFP/Getty Images Champions League power rankings 5. Manchester United The comeback vs PSG has galvanised them but despite Solskjaer performing miracles, they have glaring holes Man Utd via Getty Images Champions League power rankings 4. Barcelona With Messi, anything is possible, but incredibly despite thrashing Lyon at the Nou Camp, they looked vulnerable when the visitors halved the deficit and were one goal away from advancing AFP/Getty Images Champions League power rankings 3. Juventus Ronaldo once again showing he is Mr Champions League in the remarkable comeback vs Atletico and now a serious threat to finally clinch that elusive title AFP/Getty Champions League power rankings 2. Liverpool Outclassed Bayern in Munich and appear to be finally heating up in attack. Van Dijk has arguably emerged as the best defender in the world, with Alisson proving a clear upgrade for last year's finalists AFP/Getty Images Champions League power rankings 1. Manchester City Demolished Schalke and look to be irresistible going forward with great depth to their squad and no particular reliance on one player Getty Images While the Tottenham Hotspur manager could cost up to £50m and then maybe require time to get a team together in the manner he likes, United have been impressed with how Solskjaer has adapted to what he has straight away, to the point where the latter is now almost being weighed up as a lower-risk situation. Mike Phelan is seen as hugely important in that adjustment. He has “brought back the United way” at their Carrington base, but - crucially - that has allowed Solskjaer to be more focused on match preparation rather than training, and he is said to be exceptional at delegation. That is something else that has drawn comparisons with Sir Alex Ferguson, who is another influential figure backing the Norwegian. Solskjaer held discussions with officials in the last week, and The Independent has been told that talks have reached the point where potential summer transfer targets have been discussed, while he has also been looking at possible houses in the area. United would prioritise a centre-half and right-back in the summer, while looking to move around four fringe players on to free up the squad. While United do have a crunch period coming up - including Tuesday’s Champions League first leg against Paris Saint-Germain - Solskjaer has so generally impressed that these fixtures are no longer seen as gamechangers as to whether he gets the job.<doc-sep>
Gary Neville believes Manchester United should wait until the end of March to make a decision on their new manager. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the bookies' favourite for the job after going 11 games unbeaten as interim manager, winning 10 of those games after Jose Mourinho was sacked in December. But with important FA Cup and Champions League ties coming up, Neville feels the end of March or start of April would be a sensible time to make a judgement on the new manager. "I think it's too early to give him the job now. I think coming out of March is the right time to appraise it, then look at April with six weeks to go, make a decision considered over a three or four-month period, how the club are feeling, how the players are feeling, and what the results are. "That's not because they have seven or eight tough games, I just think it's sensible to reflect over a three or four-month period, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is putting himself in with a major shout of getting the job. "If Manchester United continue in this way until the end of the season and get into the top four then the risk with not giving Solskjaer the job would be huge. 2:55 Highlights from Manchester United's 3-0 win over Fulham "If you get to October and they have spent £30m or £40m to get a new coaching set-up into the club and they are fifth, all hell will break loose. People will say: why did you not give Ole the job when he was doing it well? "I still think you don't need to announce it today because as soon as you do it's 'who are you going to sign and who are you going to get rid of'. At the moment it's still a very good atmosphere, but once the job comes then the questions would start to change. If Manchester United continue in this way until the end of the season and get into the top four then the risk with not giving Solskjaer the job would be huge "He almost had a bit of a free hit when he first came in, but he hasn't just increased happiness, he has brought about top performances." United were in fine form as they brushed aside Fulham on Saturday, ending the weekend in fourth place after the Champions League spots had looked a distant dream when Mourinho left. Neville says it's not just the results that have improved under Solskjaer, but performances too. "It's beyond a bounce now in terms of performances. To do what they did to Fulham, make it look so comfortable, it's not always been like that in the last five or six years. He's having a massive impact on those players. 0:31 Manchester United's Paul Pogba made one young supporter's day by giving him his shirt following the 3-0 win at Fulham "We are seeing different types of performance. At Fulham they came out quickly, got two goals then controlled and managed the game. It was a nice away performance. The game against Leicester was gritty and resilient. "In the first weeks, it was about getting the mood right, getting the players passing forward and enjoying themselves. Now we are seeing rotation, tactical nuances. "Two months ago I was saying that Manchester United should get the best manager in the world and the best backroom team. I genuinely did think it would be a five-month interim for Ole where he could come in and bring the whole club together because everyone loves him. "The players have responded to him, the fans love him to bits and sang his name all the way through the match at Fulham. The fans are in some ways determining the outcome for the board because you can't go against that support. It's huge and they love Solskjaer."