Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment as permanent Manchester United manager was "not a surprise", according to Molde's managing director Oystein Neerland.

Solskjaer left his post at the Norwegian club in December to take charge at Old Trafford as caretaker boss following the departure of Jose Mourinho.

He has overseen a stunning turnaround in fortunes, propelling the club back into top-four contention in the Premier League and advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals after a memorable comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.

Solskjaer was originally expected back at Molde at the end of the English season but Neerland says it quickly became clear his success would inevitably lead to him being given the job on a full-time basis.

"Ole delivered great results since he joined the club in December so it was not a surprise he got the job," he told Omnisport. "Congratulations to Ole and Manchester United.

"For us it's good to have a conclusion regarding the permanent job so we can end the speculation. For us it's a good day to conclude that we will continue with Erling Moe as manager now.

"Of course, we're losing our manager of many years, one who has brought a lot of success to the club. But we also have a good team together with Erling Moe as the new manager.

"Life goes on and we have to move and focus on Molde for this season, which starts on Sunday. We have to be prepared and we think we are."