“Manchester United is in my heart and it’s brilliant to be coming back in this role,” said Ole Gunnar Solskjær as he confirmed his return to Manchester United as manager. “I’m really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club.”
Given the 45-year-old’s reputation at Old Trafford, plenty of his charges will be very much looking forward to working with him. Here’s why.
UEFA Champions League record (all for Manchester United)
- 77 appearances (1996–2007)
Sixth on list of UEFA Champions League appearances for United after Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney. Level with David Beckham.
- 19 goals
United’s fourth highest UEFA Champions League scorer after Rooney, Giggs and Scholes.
Best performance: winner (Manchester United, 1999)
If you don’t remember him …
It is no coincidence that Solskjær’s time at Old Trafford brought unprecedented success for United. Over the course of 366 games the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ weighed in with 126 goals, often decisive and often from the bench, earning the forward a reputation as reviver of lost causes.
None of his finishes was more famous than the prod that completed United’s remarkable comeback in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final against Bayern, a divine intervention from the man described by Sir Alex Ferguson as “the substitute from hell”.
Knee injuries forced Solskjær, who once scored four in 12 minutes after coming on against Nottingham Forest, to hang up his boots in 2007. The Norwegian international had a few months earlier wrapped up a sixth Premier League title.
What happened next
Under Sir Alex’s gaze, Solskjær took over United’s reserves in 2008, impressing enough to be offered the Norway national-team job the next year. He politely declined, reasoning that it was not the right time.
Solskjær did return to Norway in 2011, leading a Molde side that had never won the Tippeligaen to titles in his first two seasons, followed by a domestic cup in 2013. A spell in the Premier League followed at Cardiff, but Solskjær was unable to avoid relegation.
Following a year off, he rejoined Molde, steering them through their 2015/16 UEFA Europa League group, a campaign including home and away wins against Celtic, before bowing out to Sevilla in the round of 32. His Molde team were runners-up in the league in 2017 and 2018.
What they say
“Ole was absolutely ridiculous from the bench. He was a connoisseur of the game and he used to watch from the bench to see how he could hurt people. He picked out weaknesses to exploit.”
Andrew Cole, former team-mate
“You are Solskjær, my Ole Solskjær, you make me happy when skies are grey.”
Old Trafford song
“Oh what a night, late in May 1999, Ole scored a goal in injury time. What a feeling, what a night …”
Old Trafford song
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