In his first proper interview since leaving Manchester United, club legend and ex-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær has shed light on his time as head coach, what the dressing room was like, wantaway players, transfer window mistakes and more.
Speaking in an exclusive with United We Stand editor and journalist for The Athletic, Andy Mitten, the former Man United striker turned boss broke his silence on a number of issues after having been let go by the club in November 2021 following a poor run of results.
In contrast, the treble-lifting centre-forward earned the full-time manager’s position after an incredible start in an interim role, managing 14 wins in his first 19 games and fans were more than happy to see him come on board permanently.
But this form didn’t last forever despite finishing second the next year, making it to multiple semis and a Europa League final, United‘s league form began to suffer and it became clear other issues around the club had arisen. Now, according to the Norwegian, there was a fair few that played their part.
In his first in-depth interview since leaving #MUFC, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer discusses:
▪️ Why Ronaldo deal "felt right, turned wrong" ▪️ Telling players at HT he expected to be sacked ▪️ Some "weren't as good" as they thought ▪️ Players singing 'Ole's at the wheel'
He opened up on how the United dressing room went from singing ‘Ole’s at the wheel’ to people forcing moves away.
In the extensive sit-down with the lifelong Red, the 50-year-old revealed that in the nearly two years since his sacking, he’s had a lot of time to reflect on his tenure as manager and that despite enjoying coaching at youth level, he does miss the professional game and has received offers from Saudi Arabia.
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Regarding Old Trafford itself, he believes that his time there may have gone in another direction if one moment had gone differently. “Well, there’s something missing: a trophy”, said Solskjær; “One penalty could have changed that losing in the shootout against Villarreal in the Europa League final] and my time there would be viewed differently.”
Nevertheless, Ole insisted that he still did plenty good there — finishing in the top three twice, second behind a magnificent Man City side in 20/21 and bringing in some big signings — and that his remit from the start was simply to “get fans smiling again”, adding that he and the team “had something going”.
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However, he suggested that as many fans still believe to this day, the return of Cristiano Ronaldo was a “very difficult decision to turn down” and despite feeling that yes was the right choice, “it turned out wrong” and definitely factored into his eventual downfall.
🚨🚨🎙️| Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on signing Cristiano Ronaldo: “It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong.
It felt so right when he signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game, when Old Trafford was rocking… pic.twitter.com/gLq6zJtyoi
Ronaldo went on to become an even more problematic figure under current manager Erik ten Hag.
The ‘baby-faced assassin’ went on to reveal that he also knew he was going to be sacked at half-time in the 4-1 defeat to Watford and apparently told his players as much, detailing how received a text from Ed Woodward the following morning asking to see him in his office.
His relationship with Woodward and the rest of the board was another aspect he touched upon, revealing that he simply couldn’t buy the players he wanted to after agreeing to sign “three main ones” every season when he accepted the job.
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“We couldn’t buy the players I mentioned to the club… Erling Haaland, before he made his Salzburg debut. Declan Rice, who wouldn’t have cost what he did in the summer. We discussed Moises Caicedo, but we felt we needed players ready for there and then…
“We wanted Jude Bellingham badly — he’s a Man United player, but I respect he chose Dortmund. That was probably sensible. But it’s why I respect Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Dan James and Jadon. Young players prepared to come into a team that wasn’t 100 per cent there like it was when I arrived.”
🇳🇴 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on his time as Manchester United manager:
🎙️ "I would have signed Harry Kane every day of the week and my understanding was that he wanted to come."
The retired marksman also added, “I would have signed [Harry] Kane every day of the week and my understanding was that he wanted to come” but confirmed that “the club didn’t have the budget with the financial constraints from Covid-19, there was no bottomless pit.”
As for the players that he did sign, he cited Bruno Fernandes as his best and most impactful but admitted that it “hasn’t worked out” with Jadon Sancho and that “we’re still yet to see the best from him”.
He also went on to reveal that some members of the squad “weren’t as good as their own perception of themselves” and although he wouldn’t name names, he said he was “very disappointed when a couple turned down the chance to be captain.”
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Some even said they “wouldn’t play or train because they wanted to force their way out”, which he says is something that would never happen in his day, labelling it “a disease of modern football”. We’ll leave it up to the fans to speculate on which individuals he was referring to.
Ole also cleared up some media rumours about United’s dressing room culture and how he treated some players, assuring that they were “complete lies” and that he “had a solid, honest relationship with most of them”.
He didn’t blame everything on the players and limited transfer business, of course, stating that there was an element of “tiredness” and that because the fixtures and training “demanded a lot” it resulted in a lot of injuries.
Solskjær concluded by saying, “Let’s hope Erik is successful and if there is a cycle [at the club], that he breaks it. Someone is going to do it.”
Featured Image — Manchester United/Cristiano Ronaldo (via Instagram)
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Stockport County fans left ‘absolutely gutted’ after Aston Villa recall star player Louie Barry
Danny Jones
Stockport County fans have been left with an early lump of coal in their Christmas stockings this festive period as loanee and first-team favourite Louie Barry has been recalled by Aston Villa.
After the announcement was delivered this past weekend, Barry is set to return to hisparent club in January, leaving him with just three games left before he has to say goodbye to the Hatters.
Having impressed not only in his debut campaign with Stockport but going on to hit even greater heights to emerge as their star player this season, he’s quite literally been the match-winner more times than supporters will care to count as they prepare to bid him a reluctant goodbye.
Breaking the news to the Edgeley Park faithful on Sunday evening, the update may have been inevitable but it still came as a no less painful one that has frustrated many who believe it’s a “poor from Villa” and “unfair” both on the player and the club who desperately rely on him.
Having taken his goal contribution tally from 13 in 20 games throughout 2023/24 to having notched 15 goals and three assists in 22 appearances this season so far, there can be no question that Barry has found a comfortable second home at the League One club.
It’s come as a hard one to take for the fans who are all too aware of his potential. One person joked, “Thanks villa that’s just ruined my Christmas, All the best Louie”; another simply said, “Are you taking the p***?”, while a third dubbed him a “County legend”.
Many merely mustered the old adage, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Thank you”, but to sum up the overall feeling, they’re simply “gutted” to be losing the super talented youngster.
One person even went so far as to write: “An absolute box office footballer and a pleasure to watch live Up there with Anthony Pilkington as the most talented footballer I’ve ever seen in a County shirt Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of watching him, will follow his career with great interest.”
Even fans of other teams have been sharing their sympathy, with more than one echoing the sentiment: “An absolute shame. Been brilliant for you but his talents do lie at a higher level. Presume he will be loaned to a Championship team for the second half of the season.”
In fact, there were plenty of Villa fans to be found in the comments too, all debating whether or not this will prove to be a “mistake”, with several asking “Why upset his rhythm?”.
I'm a villa fan and I agree. I think he should have seen the season out with Stockport. Then next season put him in the championship whether with you guys or not. He's only 21 there's plenty of time
With the Birmingham-based side sitting in the European places once again in the top flight this season, the assumption is that Barry will most likely be loaned once again only to a Championship club to see at what level his ability is currently at.
Just as County will now be wishing they had, there’ll be plenty looking to snap the 21-year-old up on a permanent deal should they get the chance, with Leeds, Middlesborough and both Sheffield clubs all said to be interested.
On the other hand, with the Villans still in multiple competitions, they could be looking to bolster their squad with more numbers and given the success of youngsters like high-flying Jhon Durán, Morgan Rogers and Jacob Ramsey, they could be hoping to integrate him into the matchday squad.
However, the worry is that if he does stay at Villa Park and try to fight for first-team minutes, he could end up wasting valuable time sat waiting on the bench rather than continuing to thrive as he was at Stockport County. Regardless, the only saying still rings true: never get attached to a loan player…
Do you think Louie Barry was right to be recalled or is it a misstep from Villa?
Rúben Amorim’s Man United press conference interrupted by Old Trafford roof leaking – again
Danny Jones
Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim has been given plenty doses of reality since arriving at Old Trafford but surely there can’t be any more telling than the stadium’s roof leaking into his press conference?
Poetic irony timed to perfection.
Not only did the new head coach have to sit in front of journalists as he tried to wrap his head around another Premier League implosion following the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth – a team now sat in fifth, it’s worth noting – but he also got to witness the condition the stadium first hand.
And when we say first hand, we mean literally right in front of his face.
In case you wanted a summary of how much work there is to be done at Man United, the roof started leaking during Ruben Amorim’s press conference. 💦
In this instance, not only was the leak internal but Amorim’s post-match press conference was actually briefly interrupted as drops of water fell on the desk in front of him.
You can hear reporters asking what it is (they knew full well) before United’s press officer can be heard off-camera asking them to quickly move on. Sports writer Sanny Rudravajhala quipped, “A new meaning to the leaks at #mufc”, in reference to dressing room talk and lineups still being fed to the media.
Make what you will of Amorim‘s expressions in this moment but let’s just say he can’t have been expecting to have to worry about things like this when he accepted the job.
A penny for the Portugueseman’s thoughts when he looked up and saw that leak coming from the ceiling:
The moment Ruben Amorim's press conference is interrupted by a leak at Old Trafford pic.twitter.com/gqc8fW20Om
Although many are deeply reticent to let the iconic Theatre of Dreams go after more than a century of history and sporting memories, scenes like this certainly go a long way to arguing the case for a whole new home ground rather than simply renovating as it appears to be in such a sorry state of disrepair.
But even with a brand-new state-of-the-art footballing arena, it doesn’t do anything to address improving performances on the pitch as even with eye-watering sums invested in the squad over recent years, they still look way off it and serious work needs to be done for them to catch up with the pack.
You can watch the highlights from Man United vs Bournemouth below:
The leaking roof wasn’t the only thing raining down on Amorim as the derby day high was followed by a frustrating festive low.
Danny Jones -
20th September 2023 
