Paul Ince has insisted he did not claim ‘anyone’ could have turned around Manchester United ‘s fortunes as he admitted Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has taken the team to another level.
Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho on an interim basis in December and has since guided the club to 14 wins in his 17 games in charge.
Under the Norwegian United have reignited their top-four hopes and on Tuesday became the first team in Champions League and European Cup history to overturn a 2-0 home defeat in a two-legged knockout tie.
Ince has moved to clarify remarks he made when Solskjaer first took over, saying he meant that anyone steeped in the club’s history would have been a success.
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“When I said ‘anyone’ could’ve done the job Ole has done, I didn’t literally mean anyone,” Ince told Paddy Power News .
“That’s been taken completely out of context. What I said was that someone like Mark Hughes or Steve Bruce, who has the history and spirit of the club, could have gone in there initially and turned it round.
“The team were down in the dumps, unhappy, and weren’t playing the way they wanted to play. We all knew that.
“If I’d have gone into United, I’d have done exactly what Ole did. I’d have got a smile back on the players’ faces, got them enjoying training again, and told them to go out and play the way they want to play. That wasn’t hard to resolve, because we saw the negativity coming out of Old Trafford.
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“Steve Bruce would’ve done exactly the same thing. They know the United way. I’m not saying any Tom, Dick or Harry could’ve come in. I’m talking about players who’ve played for the club and gone on to manage, that’s the point I was making.
“Me and Brucey have managed and we’ve been to a club where we’ve had to turn it around.”
However, Ince has been impressed with the way that the initial upturn in mood generated by Solskjaer has been maintained and turned into performances on the pitch.
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“No one is right to say I was wrong – everyone is entitled to their opinion. My opinion was my opinion,” he added.
“As I said, initially, getting the players smiling was the first phase for Ole. I still believe anyone could have done that that knows the United way.
“What I would admit is, since then, Ole has taken it to another level. We expected them to beat the first so-called lesser teams that they played.
“But, now, what we’re seeing is he’s taken it to a completely different level. That love for Ole from the players, that change of mood, it hasn’t worn off. It’s just got better and better, and I’m over the moon about it.”
