Former Manchester United coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has indicated he is open to taking up his old role at the club again. The Norwegian, who has not managed another team since he was shown the door by United in November 2021, declared his availability in a Q&A session at the Oslo Business Forum. He said, “If the family [United] asked, I would say yes every day of the week. It feels wrong to talk about jobs that other people have now, but I would say yes, of course.”
The 51-year-old was hired to replace Jose Mourinho after the latter was sacked by United in 2018. He went on to guide the club to a second-place finish during the 2020/21 Premier League season. However, the former Red Devils attacker could not deliver silverware and was finally let go after losing six games in 11 towards the end of 2021.
There has been increasing talks of replacing Dutch manager Erik ten Hag who was hired as Solskjaer’s successor. Ten Hag’s team has managed only three wins in eight games this season, heaping up the pressure on him. Meanwhile, he has pleaded that the fans be patient during his pre-match conference ahead of United’s weekend league clash with Tottenham. He said, “Still we are working and progressing. We made a choice to sign very young players. We believe in them this moment and also for the future. We have to build them. That takes time. I am impatient. I want to go straight forward but also we had success in two seasons.”
Solskjaer, who has since been working as a UEFA technical observer, has been linked with several clubs. However, he expressed his willingness to lead his country’s national team. He said, “I am a proud Norwegian and of course, if the question arises, I will happily engage in discussions.”
The Norwegian national team is currently managed by Stale Solbakken who is expected to lead the team to the 2026 World Cup.
