Today marks one year since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was handed the reigns as Manchester United’s fourth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

Initially brought in as a stop-gap while the club waited for someone of the ilk of Mauricio Pochettino or Zinedine Zidane, there was no suggestion that Solskjaer was a long-term solution.

But after leading a rejuvenated United to 14 wins in his first 19 matches across all competitions, the club’s board finally caved to pressure and gave him the job full-time.

It became apparent that Ed Woodward would have no choice but to name Solskjaer as Jose Mourinho’s long-term successor after the Norwegian’s greatest night as United manager, even still to this date, in Paris.

United lost the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie 2-0 to Paris Saint-Germain but then a dramatic comeback in the French capital, sealed by a Marcus Rashford penalty in stoppage time, to secure progression on away goals (3-3 on aggregate).

Now 12 months later Solskjaer has overseen a mammoth rebuild which is starting to show results as United close in on a return to the Champions League.

But the Red Devils’ trajectory under the Norwegian has not always been upwards. After getting the job permanently, they lost five of their last nine league matches at the back end of last season.

A humbling 4-0 defeat at Everton threatened to obliterate all the momentum Solskjaer had gathered since his arrival. But in reality it highlighted the weaknesses in his squad that had to be addressed in the summer.

The 47-year-old recently admitted that day at Goodison Park was ‘the lowest I’ve been’ and then in April a draw at home to Chelsea in a pivotal match in the race for the top four cost them dearly.

But missing out on the Champions League could have been a blessing in disguise. It allowed United to turn their attention to a different sort of transfer target. Solskjaer placed an importance on signing young, British talent and spent big on three players who matched that criteria.

Daniel James was first through the door from Swansea for £17million before Aaron Wan-Bissaka joined from Crystal Palace for £50m and Harry Maguire arrived from Leicester for a huge £80m.

All three have played crucial roles for United this season and nobody can deny they have been valuable additions to the squad. But while the club has strengthened with incomings, there is still one transfer issue threatening to boil over.

Paul Pogba has wanted out of Old Trafford for over a year now. The final few months of Mourinho’s tenure were clouded by tension between him and the manager and still the Frenchman is angling for a move away.

Guided by an exit strategy continuously pounded in public by his agent Mino Raiola, a man Gary Neville has called ‘a disgrace’, Pogba is hinting that he will finally leave this summer.

Real Madrid and Juventus are both rumoured to be keen on ending his Old Trafford career for a second time but United won’t be forced into selling one of their prized assets for nothing short of his value.

There is no denying Pogba is a talent but for a player who has played just 610 minutes of football this season and contributed very little since his return to England, Solskjaer would be forgiven for allowing him to leave to strengthen elsewhere.

As well as the uncertainty surrounding Pogba last summer, United also failed to bring in another striker when Romelu Lukaku left for Inter Milan. They were linked with several players but couldn’t get one through the door.

It came back to bite them as well. When United lost 2-0 at West Ham in September, Jesse Lingard, a man who has scored seven times in the past two seasons, had to play up front.

Marcus Rashford has impressed but he often does his best work from the left flank and Anthony Martial, despite his recent good form, is yet to prove he can score 25 goals a season.

There was plenty of cause for optimism going into the new season but, given their horrendous finish to the previous campaign, it felt Solskjaer had a lot to prove in the role.

He couldn’t have got off to a better start though. United decimated Frank Lampard’s Chelsea 4-0 on the opening weekend of the season and served up a performance that exactly matched the blueprint Solskjaer had in his mind.

A Rashford brace and goals from Martial and James capped off a devastating counter-attacking display but that was the best it got for United in the opening months of the season.

United have been at their best against the big boys this season. They have beaten City home and away in the Premier League and have a superb 8-1 aggregate score over Chelsea thanks to a league double and Carabao Cup victory.

But a failure to beat the ‘lesser teams’ have held them back. Defeats by Newcastle, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Watford and Bournemouth in the opening five months of the season showed there was still work to be done.

They halted any momentum United threatened to build up and wins over Tottenham, City and a draw at home to Liverpool now felt flat.

United desperately needed creativity in midfield. It’s all very well having frightening pace on the break but if there’s nobody to supply the ammunition then their deadly weapons cannot operate to maximum potential.

After a lengthy negotiation, United finally struck a £68m deal with Sporting Lisbon to sign Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese international scored 32 goals and provided 18 assists last season so United knew they had someone who could unlock a defence.

Some signings take weeks or months to get up to speed but Fernandes has been an instant hit. His front-foot, aggressive style, coupled with the ability to pick a pass and score all manner of goals, has been the driving force behind United’s resurgence since Christmas.

But despite the acquisition of a midfield lynchpin United still couldn’t get a striker through the door.

Solskjaer flew to hold talks with Erling Haaland, the Norwegian prodigy wanted by all of Europe’s elite clubs, but he eventually signed for Borussia Dortmund. Haaland’s form in the Bundesliga has made missing out on him look like a massive mistake.

A deadline day move for Bournemouth’s Joshua King also fell through and although United were heavily linked with Edinson Cavani and Moussa Dembele, no concrete moves were made.

In the end, United made a desperate loan signing in Odion Ighalo from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua. Expectations were low but the Nigerian has been a breath of fresh air.

His physical style and poacher’s instincts around the box have offered United a different threat and his four goals in eight games, including a belter against LASK in the Europa League, have led to talk of the club making the move permanent in the summer.

As well as those purchases made by Solskjaer in this season’s transfer window, he has also found reinforcements from the club’s youth system. Ferguson’s tenure was littered with young prospects like Cristiano Ronaldo, the Neville brothers and Ryan Giggs to name a few but in recent years they have dried up.

This season has seen Brandon Williams and Mason Greenwood play increasingly important roles. Solskjaer’s willingness to convert to a back five in recent months has seen Luke Shaw shifted inside and Williams allowed to maraud down the left flank.

Greenwood, meanwhile, looks every inch a United striker for years to come. His left foot has produced some moments of magic this season with 12 goals for the senior side. There are others to come, too. Dean Henderson could return from Sheffield United, James Garner looks every inch a midfield maestro and Tahith Chong has just signed a new deal.

Before English football shut down earlier this month due to the coronavirus crisis, United were unbeaten in 11 matches. Of those they had won eight. They also scored 29 goals, conceded just two and kept nine clean sheets.

United finally have a tactical identity again and Solskjaer is beginning to construct a squad of players that know how to deliver it. No longer are there moves for big names who are past their best like Radamel Falcao and Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Now United are finally implementing some sort of transfer system that is producing results. This summer, if football manages to restart in the coming months, is crucial to the project. If United can seal Champions League football then they will have access to a better tier of player.

A big-money move for Jadon Sancho is reportedly being lined up and Solskjaer knows there are still areas to improve if United are to catch up to Liverpool and City, the Premier League’s standout clubs.

But the first 12 months under Ole have been more than positive. If United can continue their progress in the coming year then the summit of English football will surely not be too far away.