Another great European night beckons for Solskjaer

It was hard to imagine that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is entering the most pivotal spell of his brief, and spectacular, reign as Manchester United’s interim manager as he sat, as relaxed and on-message as ever, at his beloved Old Trafford yesterday.

Having spent the last two months surprising England and the Premier League and defying the doubters who questioned the wisdom of appointing him to pick up the shattered pieces left by the Jose Mourinho implosion, the Norwegian is aiming to do the same in Europe, starting tonight.