Ole Gunnar Solskjær has revealed that he could not turn down the chance to bring back Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær stated that he “felt right but was wrong” about the signing and was let down by the egos of some players.
The Norwegian was at the helm of affairs at Old Trafford from 19 December 2018 until 21 November 2021 and was sacked a day after a 4-1 loss at Watford.
Following his return, he scored twice against Newcastle in his opening game, and earned his team a 4-1 victory.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær subsequently lost his job after the trip to Watford, with Ronaldo already bagging 9 goals before the coach’s dismissal.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær, while speaking in an interview, said: “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. He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world, he was looking strong.”
The Red Devils subsequently lost to City rivals Manchester City and Watford, which ultimately sealed the managers’ fate.
Speaking on his dismissal, Ole Gunnar Solskjær said: “When I looked at the fixtures it was going to be a deciding period.”
“When things didn’t go right, you could see certain players and egos come out. We beat Tottenham convincingly 3-0 away, but then we lost two games.”
“They weren’t as good as their own perception of themselves,” he added.
“I won’t name names, but I was very disappointed when a couple turned down the chance to be captain. I was also disappointed when others said they wouldn’t play or train because they wanted to force their way out.”
Erik ten Hag replaced Ole Gunnar Solskjær after the interim appointment of Ralf Rangnick, and he is enduring a tough start to the season.
Manchester United have lost three of their opening five matches, with two defeats coming from Arsenal and Brighton & Hove.
“I know what he’s going through. It’s a dream job, but it’s difficult,” added Solskjær.
“You’re dealing with humans with all their problems and backgrounds – this isn’t a computer simulation. But most are good professionals who want to do well. Some think about No 1 first, most think of the club.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Ole Gunnar Solskjær KSO is a Norwegian football manager whose most recent role was manager of Manchester United. He was born on 26th February, 1973.
Solskjær is also a former player who played as a forward and as a player, he spent the majority of his career with Manchester United and also played 67 times for the Norway national team.
He subsequently became caretaker manager at United in late 2018 after taking over from José Mourinho for the rest of the 2018–19 season.
As a caretaker manager for United he only won 14 of his 19 matches in charge. Afterward, Solskjær signed a three-year contract to take over as Manchester United manager on a permanent basis.
He was fired from his position as a manager in November 2021 following a poor run of performances during the 2021–22 season.
