(Reuters) - Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford has given his backing to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the wake of Mauricio Pochettino's sacking by Tottenham Hotspur.
Pochettino was one of the leading contenders for the United job when Jose Mourinho was sacked in December but the club appointed Solskjaer on an interim basis instead, and named the Norwegian permanent manager in March.
"Ole is a great guy and he has the club's interests at heart so there's not a better person for the job in my opinion," Rashford told Sky Sports.
Solskjaer came under scrutiny after United made their worst start to a league season in 33 years, but the team appear to have turned a corner in recent weeks after winning five of their last six games in all competitions.
United are up to seventh in the Premier League after beating Brighton on Nov. 10, but are still 18 points adrift of leaders Liverpool and nine shy of fourth-placed Manchester City, who currently occupy the final Champions League qualification spot.
Rashford said he bought into Solskjaer's vision for the club and that the manager was one of the main reasons he agreed to extend his contract in the close season.
"I could see where his head was at, where he wanted the club to be at and for me it was just a no-brainer," the 22-year-old added.
"We were on the same page and wanted the same things for the club ... There was no hesitation from me over signing a new contract."
United resume their league campaign at fifth-placed Sheffield United on Sunday.
(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)