Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is the current Manchester United manager following a spell as caretaker manager after he replaced Portuguese Manager Jose Mourinho.
He enjoyed a successful playing career before going into management. Solskjaer, first signed by Manchester United as a player from Norwegian club Molde in 1996, spent 11 seasons at Old Trafford, scoring 91 goals in 235 Premier League appearances and helping his side win six Premier League titles.
He memorably scored the added-time winner for Manchester United against Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final.
The Norway international also remains the only substitute to score four goals in a Premier League match, achieving the feat in a 19-minute appearance against Nottingham Forest in 1999.
Having hung up his boots in 2007, Solskjaer continued to work for Sir Alex Ferguson, coaching the first-team strikers before taking charge of the reserve team.
In November 2010, he became Manager of Molde and guided his former club to their first league title in their 100-year history in his debut season.
Molde retained their title, before going on to win the Norwegian Cup in the following campaign.
Solskjaer landed his first managerial role in the Premier League in January 2014 when he was announced as manager of Cardiff City, who were lying one point above the relegation zone.
Cardiff City was relegated after finishing bottom of the Premier League.
After eight months at the Welsh club, Solskjaer returned to Molde, who finished runners-up in the Norwegian top flight in successive seasons.
In December 2018, he was confirmed as caretaker manager of Manchester United for the remainder of the season replacing sacked Jose Mourinho who was regularly complaining of lack of quality players in the squad and a need for more addition of quality players which his boss Ed Woodward didn’t provide but opted to sack him.
Solskjaer was given a three-year deal in March 2019 following 10 wins out of 13 in the Premier League and a comeback victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Solskjaer’s record since joining Manchester United on December 19th 2018
Since then, Manchester United has played 45 competitive matches under the guidance of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer winning 17, drawing 9 and losing 19. Of those, his team has scored 61 goals and conceded 73 meaning his goal difference record is minus 12.
This not so good record was hugely put under high scrutiny when he needed penalties to save him from an embarrassing exit from the Carabao Cup by League One side Rochdale. Out of the six premier league matches so far played, Solskjaer and Manchester United have won 2, drawing two and losing two and sitting in the seventh position on the table. The most recent Premier League loss was a 2-0 defeat to West Ham at the London Stadium.
Matches Played 45
Wins 17
Draws 9
Losses 19
Goals For 61
Goals Against 73
Former Manchester United Right Back Paul Parker weighs in
According to Paul Parker, Manchester United should only change their manager if it meant executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward also left the club.
Parker does not think sacking Solskjaer would be in the best interests of the club right now.
However, he says if Woodward was to go as well, then he would support the decision.
“I don’t think they can because they’ve got enough issues going on.
“I think they are in such a bad place at the moment it would throw more mud at the club if they were to get rid of Ole.
“If they could come out and say ‘we are getting rid of him and we are going to have a clean slate, we’re going to start with someone fresh’, in other words, Ed Woodward is going to move away from his position and someone else is going to take that position and the club is going to be run as what it should be, a football club, I would say yes.
“Whoever is going to come in next is going to have the same barriers in front of them.”
United have blooded in several youngsters this season including Mason Greenwood and new signing Daniel James.
But Parker says it is not the best time for them to be given a first-team opportunity.
“There are not enough men now, who I would come out and say, who have got anything about them to believe they can make something happen,” he added.
“I keep reading all the time about bringing through these young players, I think to myself, if you were a parent and your son was with Manchester United you would not want him to go on that pitch to make his debut with that team there at this moment in time.
“There are too many selfish players out there who are more concerned about their own issues than be concerned about looking after a young player out there who is looking to make his name in the game.
“It’s the wrong time to be using these wrong players.”
Who should replace Solskjaer or Woodward If any left
Massimiliano Allegri is “as likely a candidate as any” to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United, reckons former West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop.
United have had a poor start to the Premier League season, leading to question marks over Solskjaer’s long-term future at the club.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also threw himself into the contest when he showed interest at taking over at the club if the opportunity arises. The return of Jose Mourinho cannot be ruled out if Club Executive Ed Woodward also left the club. Current Napoli Manager Carlo Ancelloti is also a manager who people think can turnaround things at Old Trafford.
This doesn’t also rule out a major Manchester United bid of bringing Pep Guardiolla, crossing over from arch-rivals Manchester City. Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham Hotspurs is another Coach United may want to look at if the Glazer Family think things must be turned around at Old Trafford.
BY PAUL TENTENA
