Former team-mate Jordi Cruyff has credited Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for unblocking the minds of Manchester United’s players.
The Norwegian has overseen an amazing transformation in results since his appointment as caretaker boss following the sacking of Jose Mourinho in December.
United have now won nine of their last ten matches in all competitions and are just two points off Chelsea, who currently occupy the final Champions League spot.
And Cruyff reckons Solskjaer has been able to turn around their fortunes due to the mental impact he has had on the squad.
“After two or three days there was a huge turnaround without any training,” Cruyff told BBC Sport.
“His work has been more mental, talking to the players and pressing the right buttons to get the best out of them.
“The quality is there. They are good players. From the outside, he has touched their minds and put an arm around their shoulder.
“They really needed someone to stabilise things and give positive messages, outside and inside the club.
“When players are blocked, they cannot produce. Suddenly there is an unblock, which probably comes more from the mind because Ole had no time to turn things around based on training.
“That tells you a lot about the players’ state of mind.”