Legendary hitman Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has backed the Canaries to make a quick return to Championship football. The 36-year-old Norwegian saw at first hand what League One will face next season when a youthful United XI drew 1-1 at Carrow Road on Saturday.

Legendary hitman Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has backed the Canaries to make a quick return to Championship football.

The 36-year-old Norwegian saw at first hand what League One will face next season when a youthful United XI drew 1-1 at Carrow Road on Saturday.

Tom Adeyemi's first-half strike was cancelled out five minutes from time for a share of the spoils, and the man who scored more than 120 goals in 11 years at Old Trafford and is still revered as a hero, says there are good times ahead for City.

"I think they were a good team - but I expected a good team because it's a big club," said Solskjaer. "It's a club with great traditions. I'm sure they will bounce straight back up again. I have heard so much about it from my former national team coach and former club coach Age Hareide who played here. It is a club that belongs higher up."

With United's senior players away on a tour of the Far East, Solskjaer - United's reserve team boss - was in charge in East Anglia, and after 45 minutes had some talking to do in the dressing room, having seen his side miss a chance to level when Ben Alnwick saved a weak penalty by Sam Hewson.

"They gave us a little bit of a run-around in the first half and showed what a good team they are really," he said. "I think we were lucky to be 1-0 down. I said to the boys at half-time that we were happy they didn't score with that penalty because they didn't deserve to be one each.

"But second half I thought they did well, they got back into the game, the tempo of the passing was better and we found the angles better and didn't give the ball away cheaply.

"We are lacking a few forwards - we didn't have a striker today and we had to play a winger up there, but I said I might end up playing my right back and my left back up front and we did and the left back (David Gray) scored.

"We enjoy these kind of games because it's different to what we are used to - great atmosphere, great stadium and it was a big occasion for many of these boys. The youngsters are coming up and they have got to show us they can play against men as well, not only boys."