Look back to the 3-1 defeat at Liverpool in the Premier League and it appeared there was very little Manchester United fans were going to have to cheer about this season.
The loss at Anfield took place on the 16th December and already the Red Devils were well out of the title race. There were problems both on and off the pitch with the manager and the season seemed to be as good as over.
Step forward Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The former Manchester United striker has come in as caretaker manager and produced a stunning turnaround in fortunes. Since his appointment, Manchester United have won nine and drawn one of their ten games in all competitions. It could not have gone much better for the Norwegian.
Even the 2-2 draw at home against Burnley, which would have come in for huge criticism under Mourinho, received praise for the later comeback, stirring memories of when Solskjaer was a player under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Let’s get things straight, Manchester United are not going to win the Premier League. However, ahead of the match at Fulham they are in great form and following the trip to Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup, Liverpool arrive at Old Trafford in the Premier League.
Manchester United have both Liverpool and Manchester City to play at home this season and could win both games. This would have been unlikely a couple of months ago. They have home games against Southampton, Watford, West Ham United and Cardiff City which they will expect to win. Away matches at Fulham, Crystal Palace, Everton and Huddersfield Town also present good opportunities for maximum points.
The FA Cup draw was not kind, handing Solskjaer a trip to Chelsea where Manchester United have struggled in recent years. However, the Red Devils won at Arsenal in the previous round and with Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur already out, a win in this game could see the opening of a nice path to the final.
The draw for the Champions League also looked daunting initially but not so much as we get closer to the first leg at Old Trafford on the 12th February. Paris Saint-Germain are the opponents and they recently lost their first Ligue 1 game of the season at Lyon. Neymar has been ruled out of the tie completely and Marco Verratti is a doubt. Adrien Rabiot has been frozen out of the team and will not feature.
Suddenly things look more promising in the Champions League and things appear to be falling nicely into Manchester United’s favour.
It is not going to be a vintage year for Manchester United but the season could end on a high. Involvement in the title race via some cracking home fixtures, the battle for the top four, the FA Cup, the Champions League and the attractive, winning football being played at Old Trafford should give the fans plenty to cheer about until the end of the campaign.