OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has that old glint in his eye as he chases another three-pronged assault on glory.
And the 1999 Treble winner is growing increasingly bullish that Manchester United’s current crop of ever-improving stars can earn their own place in Old Trafford history.
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Of course boss Ole is already guaranteed his spot, after his famous last-second prod added the Champions League crown to the Premier League title and FA Cup that were already in the trophy cabinet.
While the one-time kings of English football have gone from swagger to stumble in recent years, they have steadily brought the beauty back to their game under the Norwegian.
And if they return in the form which saw them unbeaten in 11 matches — with nine clean sheets — before lockdown, the FA Cup, Europa League and top-four treble is certainly within their grasp.
The manager certainly thinks so.
And with Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford ready to line up with new hero Bruno Fernandes in Friday’s restart at Spurs, confidence is growing.
Solskjaer, 47, sees no reason why his squad cannot challenge on all three fronts.
United face an FA Cup quarter-final at the Prem’s bottom side Norwich, while a last-eight Europa League slot looks in the bag following the 5-0 first-leg thrashing of LASK.
Ole insisted: “We are not going to discard any one of them or prioritise and if we can finish with the same momentum we had before, we could end up with trophies.
“The start will be decisive, it’s almost like a European Championships or World Cup.
“You live together, you’re close together, you’re in the bubble.
“It’s exciting and I feel very privileged to coach these players.
“They’ve been great and we’ve proved with the signings we have made that we are thinking long-term as well.
“We had great momentum before this break and the pluses are we now have the whole squad fit.”
United’s resurgence since the turn of the year has been particularly sweet for Solskjaer, who has had to live with claims he is merely a stop-gap manager since the day he first took charge following Jose Mourinho’s sacking in December 2018.
Yet last summer’s signings Harry Maguire, Dan James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka have paid off, while £55million January buy Fernandes is already a cult figure.
And 19-year-old Brandon Williams and Mason Greenwood, 18, have stepped up after getting a chance, joining Rashford, Scott McTominay and Jesse Lingard in coming through the ranks.
The Norwegian added: “We’ve been built on a young, exciting, positive team at this club since Sir Matt and Sir Alex because that’s what our fans want to see – and we want to see as coaches.
“The staff here all have the United DNA in them as well as the players, and this team is looking more and more like a Man United team, and now is the time to start getting results.
“I feel very encouraged by the signs, and now we have everyone more or less fit and training every day, you can see the potential of this group.
“We’ve seen it in training and now it’s up to everyone to get it going on the competitive stage. We do feel this squad is exciting and feel we’re on the way to something.
“We need to get up to speed straight away and the performances up to scratch quickly, because we can talk about potential all day long, but need to get results as well.”
Solskjaer will learn a lot more about his young guns in the hectic next few weeks — but also admitted the door is still open for one old hand who is due back this summer.
Alexis Sanchez has spent a disappointing season on loan at Inter Milan and everyone outside Old Trafford believes his United days are over.
When he does return, it will certainly be to a far more harmonious dressing room and a team growing in belief, rather than one totally lacking in confidence.
But the manager refuses to believe Sanchez cannot return to the fold, and is happy to let the Chilean prove he merits a final chance.
Solskjaer added: “Sometimes when you decorate your living room, it might be a nice chair or nice sofa but it maybe doesn’t go with the rest of it.
“There’s a place for good players and good people in this environment but let’s see where we get to after the season.”
