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Four games, four wins. Manchester United have become unrecognizable from their former selves under the guidance of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and the success is set to continue as the legendary striker looks to cement the job on a permanent basis.
Although his return to Old Trafford was something of a surprise, it is already proving to be a well-calculated decision by the United board. While the challenges that he has faced to date could have been tougher, his first task was not to worry about the opposition, but to reverse the damaged culture within the club that he inherited from predecessor Jose Mourinho.
Identity
There is still plenty of work to do as the club hasn't yet come to terms with the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, but there are clear signs that the identity of the club is slowly but surely returning. There is an optimism under Solskjaer that is highlighted by the fact that rumours about the next permanent manager have quietened down.
Solskjaer has put his own stamp on the team in the short time that he has been back at the club. And he has plenty to thank Mourinho for, as the errors and mistakes of the Portuguese have acted as a clear guide on the pathway to salvation.
Solskjaer breezed back into Old Trafford a few weeks ago with a familiar look on his face. While Mourinho worked under a permanent proverbial rain cloud of negativity, Solskjaer beamed into view and immediately spoke about the importance of understanding the values of the club.
More specifically, he spoke about the club and not himself, and expressed his delight at being handed the opportunity to revive the fortunes of the fallen giant that had defined his playing career.
Solskjaer's approach immediately lifted the mood around the club and changing room. And with his attitude in direct contrast to that of Mourinho, the players responded on the training ground from the very first day.
The departure of Mourinho removed a weight of pressure caused by his own negativity, and the players immediately reflected the persona of Solskjaer rather than that of their former boss.
Likewise, the fans have reacted positively, and the support at Newcastle United on Wednesday night was a clear indication that Manchester United are actually united as one for the first time since the exit of Sir Alex. Everyone is behind the team, the players and the manager, and everyone is working towards the same common goal. There is a belief and a return to the core values that have clearly been missing for too long.
Opposites attract
To achieve this happy state, Manchester United had to appoint the polar opposite of Mourinho in every single way. Solskjaer is not a high-profile manager, but he has the club's best interests at heart. His positivity and enthusiasm are reflected in his attacking approach, and he has given his players the tactical freedom to play to their strengths and to express themselves without fear.
Solskjaer has not come in to improve the players at his disposal, but to inspire them and let them play their natural game. Paul Pogba cut an unhappy figure under Mourinho, and he is not the first or last creative talent to suffer under the defensive shackles of the miserly Portuguese.
Mourinho is one of football's great destroyers - a manager transfixed with stifling the opposition rather than focusing on the strength of his own team.
But there is one player that Solskjaer appears to have already taken under his wing. Marcus Rashford was not alone in struggling with form and confidence under Mourinho, but the calmness of his finish against Newcastle United on Wednesday showed all the hallmarks of Solskjaer in his prime.
Rashford is still a young and prodigious talent, and he will directly benefit from the advice and experience of his latest managerial mentor.
Of course, Solskjaer also has a personal point to prove on his return. A failure in his only previous managerial experience in the English Premier League - with Cardiff City - he was widely criticized for his tactics and his approach as the side eventually suffered relegation in 2014. But he regrouped by returning to Molde in his native Norway, and now comes to Manchester armed with richer experience - and several lessons harshly learned.
There will be tougher challenges to come for Manchester United before the end of the season, but Solskjaer will relish the opportunity. And he will bask in a return to the UEFA Champions League - the competition that defined his career with that winning goal in the dramatic 1999 final against Bayern Munich.
This is his audition for the permanent job, and succeeding Mourinho gives him every chance of making a success of it.
Opportunity knocks
Appointing Solskjaer on a permanent basis will be a huge risk regardless of how the current season ends, but it will be a popular choice. Keeping the changing room happy will be one of his biggest challenges as tough decisions will need to be made, and the initial impact of his arrival will start to settle down when the fixtures come thick and fast in the coming weeks and months.
Solskjaer has not done anything ground-breaking to change the fortunes of the club, but he has recognized and restored the values upon which Sir Alex built his successful teams. In assistant Mike Phelan he has brought in another figure educated in the true United way, and between them they offer a tactical and emotional balance that will likely bring harmony to the club in the short-term.
There is a certain poetry in the fact that Solskjaer has been called upon. Just like in his playing career, he was labelled as a 'super-sub', a player used when things were not going to plan. It is a similar story on his return as manager, and it is so far proving to be equally effective.
Solskjaer was called from the bench in the 1999 Champions League final with less than 10 minutes left to play. He later said that his winning goal deep into injury time denied him the opportunity to play an extra 30 minutes in the biggest match of his career.
However, achieving success this time around will bring an extended stay in the Old Trafford hot-seat, and the baby-faced assassin has every chance of making it happen.
