Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is trying to restore the identity Manchester United had under Sir Alex Ferguson, according to a former teammate of the Norwegian at Old Trafford.
Andy Cole had great success under Ferguson, winning five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League, and he had a good relationship with Solskjaer during their playing days.
The former Old Trafford forward doesn't see too many managerial similarities between Solskjaer and the legendary Scot, other than the current United manager's desire to restore traditions to the club that have been lost in recent years.
Ferguson's fiery side was no secret during his time at United, and while Cole only ever saw the smiling, friendly Solskjaer, he is intrigued to hear that his former teammate might have a ruthless streak in him too.
"I think Ole is trying to implement what Sir Alex always had in the way we play, managerial style, I’m not so sure," Cole said.
"I’ve heard he’s got a little nasty streak in him, but in all my years playing with Ole I never saw that so it would be interesting to see.
"Management is not an easy role, he’s come in and he’s tried to do the right thing, which is important. He’s tried to take Manchester United back to what Manchester United were.
"Ultimately he’s trying to bring United back to how they play, by playing good football."
Cole, who was speaking to the MEN as he launched the Andy Cole Fund, a fundraising initiative aimed at helping patients with their mental health and wellbeing after kidney transplants, believes United had badly lost their way since Ferguson's retirement in 2013.
For over two decades United were associated with quick, attacking football under Ferguson, but that was an identity that was eroded as the club searched for the right formula following his departure.
"When you have an identity, whoever comes into that club should not be trying to change it," Cole said. "If you work for Apple, Steve Jobs is no longer with us, but whoever replaces him hasn’t tried to change the identity of the company.
"It’s like Barcelona, everybody knows how they play, so a manager can’t come in and change that, it’s about continuity, now Ole is trying to bring that back, which is the most important thing."
Once the experiment with David Moyes had failed within a season United were searching for an answer post-Ferguson, one Cole believes they may only be finding now they have appointed one of his former players.
Louis van Gaal followed Moyes and won the FA Cup, while Jose Mourinho won the Europa League and the League Cup, but neither could sustain a title challenge, while the approach drifted away from the exhilarating attacking seen under Ferguson, often to a more pragmatic game.
"They went away from that [style]," added Cole. "Moyes came in and changed the way we play, van Gaal came in and changed the way we play, Mourinho came in and changed the way we play.
"But United only know one way to play, that’s galvanizing football, get the fans off their seats, and have a good go. To see that from Sir Alex Ferguson, to see managers change it and now Ole bring it back to what it was, it’s great."
