MANCHESTER, England -- Nemanja Matic has told ESPN FC he wants caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his backroom staff to stay at Manchester United.
Solskjaer remains favourite to land the United job permanently despite heading into the international break on the back of successive defeats at Arsenal and Wolves.
Matic believes the 46-year-old, who has guided United back into the race for the top four as well as to the Champions League quarterfinals, has done enough to get the post.
And the Serbia midfielder said he also wanted Solskjaer's assistants Mike Phelan, Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna to stay put.
"I think he is a great manager," Matic said. "But you have to say also that with Mike, Michael and Kieran, they work very well together. They work as a team. It is not only Ole.
"There are people behind him who help us. I will be happy if he stays, and I hope he will."
Despite the setbacks at Arsenal and Wolves, Solskjaer has won 14 of his 19 games in charge since replacing Jose Mourinho in December.
That run has included impressive results against Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, but Matic said he believed the 5-1 win at Cardiff in the first game of the new era triggered the turnaround.
"When you have good results, the confidence is higher," he said. "Especially in our team, confidence is very important because we have a lot of young players.
"After winning a few games under Ole, it was easier for us. To be honest, I don't know exactly what he has changed. After we won at Cardiff it was easier for us to play."
Matic has seen his form improve under the caretaker manager, nailing down a place in a settled midfield alongside Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera.
"He asked me to play more forward and to play my game," the 30-year-old said. "Every game, he has showed my some videos of what I did well and what I can improve. I'm trying to do what he wants from me."