Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had an uncanny knack of bailing Manchester United out of trouble as a player.
Alex Ferguson would regularly summon the Norwegian striker from the bench if his side needed a goal, and more often than not he obliged.
Solskjaer regularly turned a United match in their favour, but now he has been called upon to turn around their entire season.
The 45-year-old has been confirmed as United's caretaker manager until the end of the season following Jose Mourinho's exit on Tuesday.
Solskjaer is in his second stint in charge of Molde in his homeland and has also managed in the Premier League with Cardiff.
That did not go to plan, though, with Solskjaer failing to save the Welsh club from relegation before he was axed the following September.
Nevertheless, Solskjaer is the man the United hierarchy have turned to as the club bid to make up lost ground on the Premier League's top four.
Solskjaer is revered at Old Trafford, having played for the Red Devils between 1996 and 2007, and knows all about the club's philosophy.
He scored 126 goals in 366 appearances, many after coming on as a substitute. Known as the 'baby-faced assassin', Solskjaer once climbed off the bench and scored four times in an 8-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
Solskjaer's most memorable goal came during the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich when, as a substitute, he scored United's dramatic injury-time winner.
Ferguson apparently claimed that Solskjaer was such an effective substitute because he watched the game from the bench more intently than other players.
He will be watching intently again this Saturday when, having made the transition from super-sub to interim boss, he takes charge of his first United game against his former club Cardiff.
Baby-faced assassin
Solskjaer was a surprise signing by Ferguson in July 1996 after he impressed in his homeland, netting 20 in one season for Molde. He made an instant impression, scoring six minutes into his United debut before registering 18 Premier League goals in his first season at Old Trafford, that strike rate, coupled with the Norway international's youthful appearance, earned him his moniker.
He remained a key part of United's teams over the years, however knee injuries plagued the latter part of his career before he hung up his boots in 2007.
Baby steps into management
Solskjaer took over as United's reserves manager in May 2008 to become the first person to take on the role in a full-time capacity for two years. During his tenure, he was offered the role as Norway national team boss but he turned it down. He remained in the job until January 2011 before returning to his homeland and taking charge of Molde.
Molde-ing into a successful manager
Solskjaer moved to Molde as first-team manager on a four-year contract in November 2010, but did not officially take over the role until two months later. They initially struggled at the start of his reign but came back to take the Tippeligaen (Norway's top flight) title in his first campaign.
The former striker was approached by Aston Villa six months later, but once again he rejected this role before guiding the club to a second successive league crown. The 2013 season was less successful, however Solskjaer still yielded a Norwegian Cup success to further enhance his managerial reputation.
Cardiff's Premier League jaunt
Cardiff made their move for the highly rated manager as they fought against relegation from the Premier League. His reign started in positive fashion, with a 2-1 comeback victory over Newcastle in the FA Cup third round, but just three wins and three draws from 18 league matches saw the Bluebirds immediately return to the Championship and he was sacked in September following a poor start to the campaign.
Return to Molde
Fourteen months after his Cardiff departure, Solskjaer returned to Molde for a second spell in charge on a three-and-a-half-year contract. His impact was immediate, guiding the club to the last 32 of the Europa League after negotiating a difficult group containing Fenerbahce, Ajax and Celtic. They fell to eventual winners Sevilla and finished fifth in the domestic league. Solskjaer helped the club to second place in the 2017 and 2018 season and signed a three-year contract extension on December 3, 2018.
Heir to Ferguson's throne?
Today, the 45-year-old became the second player of Ferguson's 1999 treble-winning team to take the reins at Old Trafford on a temporary basis. Ryan Giggs was in charge for four matches during the 2013-14 season, following the departure of David Moyes, on an interim player-manager basis.
The Welshman won two of those matches before becoming successor Louis Van Gaal's assistant for the next two seasons. Solksjaer has 21 Premier League games in which to rescue the Red Devils season, with the club 19 points off Premier League leaders Liverpool and 11 behind fourth-placed Chelsea.
