Former Manchester United star Andrew Cole believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should become the front-runner for the permanent managerial role with the Red Devils amid the form displayed by the team over the past month. The Norwegian was appointed as the caretaker boss of the club following Jose Mourinho’s sacking last month and he has since transformed their fortunes with eight victories from as many matches.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Cole praised the impact of Ole since taking charge of the club and feels the United favourite should be appointed as the permanent boss, should the team continue to display the same kind of form through the forthcoming months, he said: “I look at Ole and I see that he is a student of the game.

“He was prepared to take in a lot of information and break it down and do what he thought was right with it. Looking at him, he is always speaking about Sir Alex [Ferguson] and what he takes from him and what he is trying to do with the players. If this continues and Manchester United beat PSG (in the Champions League) and win midweek against Burnley then I don’t think you can look any further.”

United had failed to win against any of the top six during the first half of the season under Jose Mourinho but they have managed to change the statistic with victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the Premier League and FA Cup respectively. Still, they are within three points off the top-four positions and they need to maintain the consistency during the forthcoming months to ensure qualification for next season’s Champions League.

Meanwhile, United can qualify for the elite competition by winning it altogether but first, they need to progress beyond the round of 16 stage where they are scheduled to face Paris Saint-Germain across two legs.