It’s the aftermath of one of the strangest Manchester United matches in living memory.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have secured a 5-0 win against LASK of Austria in front of an empty stadium and the Norwegian is fielding questions ahead of that Sunday’s showdown with a certain Jose Mourinho.

He is in a bullish mood. He feels things are beginning to come together after such a troubled first half of the season.

Solskjaer's vision is beginning to be realised in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary. That’s 11 games without defeat including eight wins and nine clean sheets.

He is emboldened enough to take a subtle swipe at his predecessor: “I felt a lot needed to be changed,” he says. “I don't know how dramatic those changes have been.”

In truth they’ve been seismic, at times counter-intuitive and risky to the point that it would almost certainly have cost him his job at other clubs of United’s stature.

It may yet – if this season ever does finish and if this latest resurgence proves to be another false dawn.

But the overriding hallmark of Solskjaer’s reign has been one of selflessness.

And as he approaches a year in the job as permanent manager – and as football pauses amid the coronavirus – this is an opportune time to assess the key decisions that have taken him to the brink, but finally appear to have put United back on track.

Transfers

Outs

There was something symbolic about Marouane Fellaini becoming the first player sold under Solskjaer.

The Belgian was David Moyes’ first signing as United manager and represented the start of a chaotic and disastrous period of spending that led to their dramatic decline post-Sir Alex Ferguson.

Fellaini was far from an outright failure, but he came to symbolise Moyes’ reign and also the manner in which standards had been allowed to drop.

To many, he simply wasn’t a Manchester United player. And considering Solskjaer was still only a caretaker when shipping him off to China in January last year, his departure marked the cultural reset that was to follow.

Even before United had been convinced to give him the job on a permanent basis, Solskjaer had ticked off the players who had no future at the club during one recruitment presentation to Ed Woodward.

He has since gone on to take the kind of brave, but risky decisions that some of his predecessors dared not.

Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian, Ander Herrera, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young and Marcos Rojo have all been allowed to leave one way or another.

It robbed United of experience and game know-how that would surely have ensured a more consistent first half of this season when injuries played such a significant role in United’s torrid form.

But such a cull was also key to building a young and hungry squad that Solskjaer is convinced will prove the foundation for the future.

Verdict: Success

Ins

Senior United sources admit their transfer success rate dropped to below five out of 10 post-Ferguson, which is why so much work has been put into establishing a committee to ensure there are fewer recruitment fails.

So there is only so much credit Solskjaer can take for his encouraging business so far.

But the fact that his vision is so in tune with the traditions of United has made the process of identifying and securing targets as smooth as it’s been since Ferguson.

Sources are adamant his priorities last summer were a ball-playing centre-back, high-energy right-back and a right winger.

He addressed the first two of those needs with Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who have both impressed. Daniel James remains a work in progress after the failure to land top target Jadon Sancho.

The biggest criticism of Solskjaer’s first summer window was that it didn’t go far enough.

But it is hard to lay the blame at his feet for the failures of Woodward and chief negotiator Matt Judge to get deals over the line.

United were interested in Bruno Fernandes in March – but only firmed up a move for him in January. His outstanding form since arriving has sparked their resurgence and offered a tantalising glimpse of what might have been if Solskjaer could have called upon him from the start.

Meanwhile, the failure to replace Lukaku or Sanchez left United desperately short of options up front, particularly during Anthony Martial’s month-long absence in September.

Perhaps Solskjaer could have been stronger in pushing the board to give him a striker, but his determination not to make any missteps saw him resolutely stick to a policy of only bringing in the ‘right’ targets.

He relaxed that approach in January with a desperate late move for Bournemouth’s Josh King, eventually landing Odion Ighalo on loan instead.

And the success of the Nigerian also underlines what United missed out on in the first half of the season.

Verdict: Success

Tactics

Players

The decision to make Martial a no9 is reaping rewards, with the France striker producing his most consistent form in a United shirt.

He’s not yet the finished article, but it’s clear to see the work Solskjaer has put into transforming him into a complete centre forward with 16 goals despite a month-long injury lay-off.

Likewise, Marcus Rashford has benefited from a consistent run on the left of a front three.

The England international has a career-best 22 goals this season and was well on course to break the 30 barrier before his back injury. And for that question marks do hang over Solskjaer.

There is a belief his back problem pre-exists Solskjaer’s reign, but there has been huge pressure on him to play week in, week out this season in the absence of alternative options.

That he sustained the double stress fracture when brought on as a substitute in the FA Cup tie with Wolves in January underlines that point.

Luke Shaw is another success story, having been converted into a left-sided central defender in a back three. Be it in that role or at left-back, he is finally beginning to realise his potential after suffering with form and fitness issues for so long.

Other notable plusses are Fred and Nemanja Matic, while Scott McTominay has flourished as a midfield lynchpin.

Verdict: Success

Games

Solskjaer keeps getting it right in the big games – as three wins each against Manchester City and Chelsea attest.

He has also beaten Mourinho, while October’s draw with Liverpool represented the only points dropped by Jurgen Klopp’s Premier League champions-elect until their defeat to Watford last month.

Those big results have all been tactical successes for Solskjaer, with his fast counter-attacking football flummoxing Pep Guardiola’s side in particular.

But the story of United’s season has come from their games against just about everyone else.

Defeats to Crystal Palace, West Ham, Newcastle, Bournemouth, Watford and Burnley have indicated a lack of versatility or ideas against the so-called 'lesser' sides.

Or maybe lack of personnel, given the sudden upswing in results since Fernandes’ arrival.

With a run of games against Norwich, Brighton, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Southampton and Crystal Palace to come if and when the season resumes, that theory can be put to the test.

Until then, the ability to pick up results on a consistent basis remains the biggest question mark over Solskjaer’s reign.

Verdict: Fail (so far)

Youth

It’s a well-worn tactic to throw the kids in and get the crowd off your back.

But Solskjaer has stayed true to United’s proud traditions by providing a pathway to their best emerging talent.

Injury has hampered Axel Tuazebe’s progress – but by showing the door to Smalling and Rojo, while pushing Phil Jones down the pecking order, an opening was provided.

McTominay had already made his breakthrough under Mourinho, but it is Solskjaer who made him a key figure in midfield.

And in Mason Greenwood he has unleashed a generational talent.

He deserves immense credit for resisting the temptation to put too much pressure on the shoulders of the striker – using cup competitions to ease him into the action. But that patient approach can only last so long.

Brandon Williams has been another unexpected bonus. And by placing him ahead of Shaw at left back it’s served to spark a healthy rivalry from which both are benefiting.

It remains to be seen if Angel Gomes or Tahith Chong will make the grade, but the opportunity is certainly there for them.

Verdict: Success

Man management

Giving Maguire the captaincy within months of signing only underlined the lack of leaders within the United dressing room. But it was also a signal of intent of the type of player Solskjaer wants to build his revolution around.

The decision to hand Martial the no9 shirt in the summer was another inspired move after Mourinho had stripped him of it three years earlier.

It immediately showed the temperamental striker he had his manager’s faith and that he would be given the opportunity prove he could lead United’s attack.

He has also shown his faith in David de Gea, despite the goalkeeper enduring some of the worst form of his career over the past 12 months.

It remains to be seen if it can inspire a turnaround in the Spaniard's fortunes, while there is a difficult decision to be made over the outstanding Dean Henderson in the coming months.

Verdict: In the balance

Paul Pogba

United’s record £89m signing deserves a category all of his own, such is the ongoing debate over his future.

Solskjaer was prepared to sell him last summer, but no one came close to meeting United’s valuation of £150m.

It’s likely their asking price will drop significantly at the end of the season, but it still remains to be seen if any club will come up with an acceptable bid.

At times it’s felt like Solskjaer has allowed himself to be made a fool of when it comes to Pogba.

The Frenchman’s social media videos when recovering from injury or illness – be it playing basketball with a damaged ankle or dancing at a wedding when Solskjaer declared him ill - have not reflected well either.

It has been a difficult act to balance and United’s manager has refused to publicly criticise the 27-year-old.

Meanwhile, he’s had to put up with personal attacks from 'super-agent' Mino Raiola and Pogba’s own public flirtations with Real Madrid.

United fans have been waiting for Solskjaer to put his foot down, but such an act of power is yet to come.

United don’t want to damage Pogba's already tumbling market value, while Solskjaer may yet need to rely on him if no buyer comes forward.

But there is only so much he can put up with, without looking weak.

Verdict: Fail

Erling Haaland

He was Solskjaer’s top target in January – and at a cost of just £17m, a bargain that couldn’t be passed up.

But when Borussia Dortmund swooped for Haaland, United missed out one of the hottest properties in world football.

Old Trafford sources immediately blamed Raiola and his attempts to insert a buyout clause in the deal to sign him from Red Bull Salzburg.

But the Norway starlet insists he believed his development was better served at Dortmund.

Either way, something went very wrong at a time when United were confident they’d won the race for his signature.

There are a number of questions for Solskjaer to answer.

For a start, he knows the family personally. How could he not convince them that United was the right move?

What’s more – long before it got to the point of a January scramble – why weren’t United ensuring it was a one-horse race?

Solskjaer was his mentor at Molde. He knew all about his qualities and significant potential way before he burst onto the scene for Salzburg in the Champions League this season.

And given his own need to bring in a replacement for Lukaku and Sanchez last summer, it is remarkable Haaland was never an option.

For a scouting department that came up with 804 options at right back before landing on Wan-Bissaka – how on earth did Haaland escape their attention?

Verdict: Fail