Manchester United appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager on a permanent basis on Thursday, with the Norwegian signing a three-year deal at Old Trafford.

United announced the news via a statement on their official website.

Solskjaer said:

"From the first day I arrived, I felt at home at this special club. It was an honour to be a Manchester United player, and then to start my coaching career here. The last few months have been a fantastic experience and I want to thank all of the coaches, players and staff for the work we've done so far."

Per the Press Association's Simon Peach, he added:

Peach also relayed comments from executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward:

Football writer Liam Canning and Rich Fay of the Manchester Evening News welcomed the announcement, though ESPN's Liam Twomey and Alex Shaw questioned the timing of it:

The Red Devils legend took charge as caretaker boss after predecessor Jose Mourinho was sacked in December.

United picked up just 10 wins in the Portuguese coach's 24 matches in charge this season, scoring 38 goals and conceding 35.

Despite his only top-level managerial experience outside of Norwegian club Molde being a brief and unsuccessful stint at Cardiff City in 2014, Solskjaer engineered an immediate turnaround at United.

They have won 14 of his 19 matches in charge and racked up 40 goals, shipping 17.

That run includes victories against Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea, as well as an impressive comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.

Having lost 2-0 at Old Trafford in the first leg of their last-16 tie—his first defeat in any competition as United boss—Solskjaer guided his side to a memorable 3-1 win at the Parc des Princes in the second leg.

Base Soccer's Doron Salomon felt the 46-year-old deserved great credit:

After the dour final months of Mourinho's reign, Solskjaer's management of the team and dealings with the media have been almost the polar opposite, restoring positivity to United's play and to the atmosphere surrounding the club.

He's given the team more licence to attack than Mourinho did, and as a result, he's coaxed much more from the likes of Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford.

What United will hope he can do is maintain the momentum he has built up into next season to close the gap on rivals Manchester City and Liverpool and challenge for the Premier League title once again.