Come on in and join the club! Get our daily Manchester United email newsletter Sign me up! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

When Ed Woodward visited Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s training-ground office just days after installing him in Jose Mourinho’s chair he was taken aback by what he saw.

As the pair chatted about the direction of a Manchester United team that had been on the road to nowhere for too long, Solskjaer suddenly played his trump card.

He produced a flip chart with United in formation with names or question marks in every position – a vision of how HIS United would look in the future.

Woodward was hooked.

And as he prepares to ­celebrate 12 months in the hot-seat on Thursday, United boss Solskjaer has reflected on that pivotal day at the start of his reign.

(Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag)

“I have always had a vision of how I want this team to look in 18 months when that season (2021-22) starts,” he said.

“We need some transfer windows before then, but I set that plan out for Ed within a couple of weeks when I came here.

“I’m old school. I am not the iPad or powerpoint-presentation type! For me it’s a flip chart – write it down and put in the names. Yep, yep, no, no, yes. Players, gaps, holes. With what’s happened since, one or two things have changed – but he has known from the start what I think this group needs.

“I’d been watching. I had a clear idea of what a United team should look like. I have been part of a United team and I wanted to go back to our traditions of attacking.

“Quick, attacking football with pace, power, and ­personalities out there. And that is what we are doing. I can see fruits of what we’re doing. The seeds we’re laying are starting to pop up.

“Obviously we are one or two players down in numbers but it doesn’t have to be all done in this (January) window, it might be the summer window. But we are going to strengthen. We are going to get starters into this team. We need to.”

(Image: PA)

Successive victories over Spurs and Manchester City , before Thursday’s Europa League romp against AZ Alkmaar, have restored the feelgood factor at Old Trafford following a poor start to the season.

Solskjaer has changed the dressing-room culture by ­replacing established stars like Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez with hungry players willing to fight for the cause – and it’s a happier place.

“You see every single day now that these players don’t need an operation. Sometimes they need some medicine but we’re on the right track,” the Norwegian said.

“If you don’t pull your weight or put a shift in you’re the odd man out in training. It didn’t always used to be like that, I have to say.”

Arguably his biggest success, though, has been to restore the sense of unity that existed in Sir Alex Ferguson’s days when United were a ­family.

After leaving his role as ­reserve coach in 2011 Solskjaer admits he felt unwelcome at Old Trafford after the ­legendary Scot had left.

“I’d been there once since I left and I didn’t feel that I could go in so it was important to change the mood,” he said.

“It’s about being part of the family when you work for us. It doesn’t matter if you’re Kath on reception, Mike behind the cooking plates, or Alec doing the kit, we as coaches, or the players.

“We are one team, that’s ­always been United. Now I’m getting more confirmation of that by ex-players coming back who have not been here for many years.

“Last week we had Patrice (Evra) and Anderson in. Berba (Dimitar Berbatov) has been in. So too Nemanja (Vidic), and Rio (Ferdinand). Roy Keane has been in. They’re all coming in.

“When I have Norwegians meeting us here, other clubs, agents – they get a great feel.

“That’s a big thing for me, Mick Phelan and Michael ­Carrick because we’ve been part of this club for so long.”