Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Reveals He Will Not Be Afraid to 'Lay Down the Law' at Man Utd

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed that he will 'lay down the law' with Manchester United's players if they fail to match the standards and expectations he has of them.

The Norwegian, who took over as interim boss at Old Trafford during midweek, was speaking at his first press conference in charge of the club that he served faithfully as a player for 11 years, where he also addressed suggestions that more of a 'player power culture had taken over in the dressing room since the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

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“I’m not sure about you saying the power has gone to the dressing room,” Solskjaer began, as quoted by the Telegraph.

“Football has evolved, of course, and the gaffer (Ferguson) was in charge of more or less the whole club.

“Football is developing. The structure of the club has developed. (But) The power is with the manager. He picks the team, the tactics, the strategy. The philosophy is in these walls. That legacy is more important than any player power.”

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Indeed, Solskjaer was keen to point out that although he has an element of trust already embedded into his players, he won't be afraid to take the hard line with them where necessary.

“I am also not afraid of, if you like, laying down the law,” he added. “You know with your kids, if they disappoint you, you tell them off. You don’t give them some chocolate. So you treat players similar to how you treat your kids, really, because you want the best for them, you want to guide them and help them.

“Once in a while you really have to tell them the standards we have got. We’ve spoken about what we expect, what standards we have on and off the pitch. I trust the lads to know what they’re doing, to help the team. Everything we do is to help the team."

The 45-year-old, who was known as the baby faced assassin during his playing career, ironically takes the Red Devils to Cardiff this Saturday for his first match in charge - the only team that Solskjaer has previously managed in England until now.