Ole Gunnar Solskjaer flirts with sensational return to Manchester United

Erik ten Hag may want to cover his ears as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer voiced his interest in a sensational return to Manchester United.

Solskjaer, who replaced Jose Mourinho as United boss in late 2018 and remained in charge for almost three years before his dismissal in November 2021, has hinted at the prospect of rekindling his relationship with the club.

Norwegian journalist Fredrik Filtvedt asked the 51-year-old if he would accept a return to Old Trafford as manager, to which Solskjaer replied:

“If your family needs you, you would, of course, want to help out. I would say yes any day of the week.

“It feels wrong to sit here talking about jobs that belong to other people. But of course, yes. I would say yes.”

The ‘baby-faced assassin’ made 366 appearances for the Red Devils between 1996 and 2007, scoring 126 times and adding 53 assists across a decorated spell in Manchester.

As a player, he won six Premier League winners’ medals, two FA Cups, two Community Shields and to top it all off – scored the winning goal in added time of the 1999 Champions League final.

Following Mourinho’s exit in December 2018, Solskjaer became the first United manager to win his first five league games at the helm since Sir Matt Busby in 1946 and the club enjoyed an incredible revival.

He was named the Premier League’s Manager of the Month for January 2019, the club’s first winner of the award since Sir Alex Ferguson in October 2012 during his final season in charge.

Solskjaer led the Red Devils to a historic comeback against PSG in the Champions League round of 16 in March 2019, sending United through to the quarter-finals and becoming the first team in the competition’s history to advance after losing the first leg at home by two or more goals.

The Norwegian was awarded with a three-year deal to remove his interim tag and step into the job on a permanent basis, leading United to a third-place league finish in 2019/20 and reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Europa League.

In the following season, the Manchester giants were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage but finished runners-up to Manchester City in the league and lost in the Europa League final to Villarreal on penalties.

United once again made the semi-finals of the EFL Cup and were knocked out in the FA Cup quarter-final, but enjoyed a busy summer with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo alongside new arrivals Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane which garnered significant excitement amongst the fanbase.

Solskjaer penned a new three-year contract extension in July 2021 with the option of a further year, but a run of poor results to begin the campaign – including a 5-0 home defeat to Liverpool and a 4-1 loss at Watford – saw the Scandinavian dismissed from his role under mutual consent.

Much like Solskjaer’s final season in charge of the club, current boss Erik ten Hag is struggling to find results and following disappointing draws to Crystal Palace and FC Twente, his position is once again under scrutiny.

A difficult upcoming period which begins by hosting Tottenham Hotspur before trips to Porto and Aston Villa ahead of another international break feels like a pivotal spell for the Dutchman to justify his contract extension signed in July, which will run until 2026.

Similarities are beginning to appear between Ten Hag and Solskjaer’s tenures in the job and the Norwegian’s latest comments will only heap further pressure on the former Ajax manager as he fights to stay in the Old Trafford dugout.