The transformation under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United began before he officially took on the role of caretaker manager at Old Trafford. During his attendance at United’s Champions League match against Young Boys in November, the Norwegian manager crossed paths with Marcus Rashford. Their encounter took place in a corridor as Solskjaer was leaving the stadium.
Manchester United clinched an unexpected victory in the match with a goal in the 90th minute, courtesy of Marouane Fellaini. Despite the win, Rashford was somewhat disappointed with Fellaini’s performance as he missed a crucial opportunity in the first half of the game.
Following the match, Solskjaer took a moment to have a brief chat and offer words of encouragement to the 21-year-old player, advising him to stay composed when in front of the goal. Six weeks later, Solskjaer and Rashford were spotted together at a sports event in Dubai, this time in the roles of coach and player, respectively. Solskjaer’s message to the young striker remained consistent – to remain calm when presented with a chance and focus on delivering the ball precisely into the intended goal area. Shortly after, Rashford scored the only goal against Tottenham, a skillful finish past Hugo Lloris into the bottom corner.
This marked Rashford’s first-ever Premier League goal. He went on to score four goals in five matches under Solskjaer’s guidance, who has started his managerial stint at Manchester United with a perfect record of six wins in six games.
