Solskjær hired as permanent manager in Manchester United
The fairytale of Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Manchester United continues. He got the manager job on a permanent basis on Thursday. Now he wants to steer the club back to the top.
Just before Christmas, December 19th, Solskjær came in to replace José Mourinho after United had come to a standstill. Then it was 8178 on the day since the Norwegian was brought to the club as a striker in the summer of 1996.
United meets Watford at home on Saturday. Solskjær returns to Old Trafford from two straight losses (Arsenal and Wolverhampton, both away games).
He’s going to get a hero’s reception at Old Trafford. In just over three months, he has helped turn the mood of the club and come up with results.
Short time temp?
When Solskjær got the temporary job, most experts agreed that he was just that – A man who was to bring the club through the season, only to be pushed aside by a “big” established name afterwards.
Those predictions did not turn out to be right. Solskjær quickly got results, and several of United’s big stars, especially Paul Pogba, cranked up their engines when they didn’t have Mourinho hovering in the shadows of the Carrington Fitness Centre.
Thus, United advanced on the league table. Then came the “miracle in Paris” where United turned 0-2 from the home game to a 3-1 away win over Paris Saint-Germain in Paris.
That provided a place in the quarter-finals of the European Champions League and a double match against Messi’s Barcelona. Both fixtures will be played in April.
Solskjær’s permanent contract probably gives him an annual salary of just over NOK 100 million. According to English newspapers, Molde will receive approximately NOK 55 million as a transfer fee.
Loyal
The Norwegian now makes an adventurous definite comeback in Manchester United. 22 years after he was bought by Alex Ferguson, Solskjær takes over as the manager of the club.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær quickly became a favourite at Old Trafford. He scored 18 league goals in his first season for Manchester. He was nicknamed the “Baby-Faced Assassin” because of his boyish appearance.
The Norwegian often had a role as a super-sub but chose to stay on in the club throughout. Solskjær had several offers of change of employer. He remained loyal to United until a knee injury ended his career at the end of August 2007.
Decider
The high points of Solskjær’s eleven seasons long career as a United player are many. He became the matchwinner in the Champions League final in 1999 when United beat Bayern Munich in a very dramatic match.
In 1999, Solskjær scored four goals as a substitute(!) in a match against Nottingham Forest.
Solskjær ended with 126 goals in 366 games for United. He lost almost two full seasons due to injuries.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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