Solskjaer's dramatic U-turn sees Jose Mourinho history repeat itself at Man Utd

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer put a plan in motion when he took the reins at Manchester United in 2018.

His job, simple in theory but riddled with challenges, required him to strip the Red Devils back by removing deadwood and offloading players that, he felt, weren't fighting for the badge.

He would then replace some of these individuals with hungry youngsters possessing the so-called 'Manchester United DNA'.

The process took a few transfer windows as the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alex Sanchez - two players deemed troublesome, on big money and not pulling their weight - were moved on.

Meanwhile, the likes of Dan James and Aaron Wan Bissaka - two younger players with modest statures within the game, were brought in to make the step up from prospect to finished product at Old Trafford.

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For a while, the plan appeared to be working for Solskjaer, who of course assisted the younger players who needed time to settle in by also splashing the cash on quality; Harry Maguire being a prime example.

Eventually, Solskjaer effectively undid Jose Mourinho's failed efforts to buy success by stockpiling overpaid superstars of yesteryear and replacing them with world-beaters of the future.

But as the future became the present, and both fans and the people above Solskjaer wanted to see the transitional period come to fruition, the Norwegian suddenly found he had huge pressure on his shoulders.

His younger players hadn't quite developed in the way he'd hoped and Solskjaer was still showing signs that he didn't know his best XI or how to tactically overcome the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.

This panic resulted in Solskjaer throwing the dice one last time this summer and he landed on undoing all the foundations he'd been putting into place with the dramatic U-turn of his plan.

Channelling the man he set out to contradict, Mourinho, Solskjaer added to the signing of Edinson Cavani with more ready-made superstars in the form of Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Like Lukaku and Sanchez, Ronaldo and Varane were purchased to bring overnight success with little to no consideration for how they would fit in at United and who they would unsettle.

Cavani, to his credit, was great in his first season at United, and five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo has arguably been the Red Devils' standout player this campaign.

But that doesn't deter from the fact that the Portugal international has added to the drama at United, which has resulted in the likes of Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes regressing this season.

Varane, meanwhile, has been struggling with injuries this campaign and has played only nine of 19 Premier League matches for Man United so far this season under both Solskjaer and Rangnick.

Rangnick's big job now is to fix what Solskjaer set out to fix in 2018.

The German has an inflated squad comprised of huge egos and only 11 places in his first-team each week.

According to reports, a staggering 17 players want out at Man United over the coming eight months, which sounds disastrous from a Red Devils perspective.

But as Solskjaer found in his early days, moving players on might be the tonic United needs at the moment.