Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's dramatic Man Utd U-turn that caused him big problems

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was linked with a Manchester United return in recent days after a bleak end to his first stint in charge at Old Trafford

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had a clear aim when he was appointed Manchester United boss in 2018. The club’s legendary striker arrived as interim manager in December 2018, before stepping into the role on a permanent basis three months later following a string of impressive results.

His main objective was to remove any of the team’s deadwood and replace them with hungry youngsters possessing the so-called ‘Manchester United DNA’, in line with the club’s fundamental philosophy since the era of Sir Alex Ferguson.

That process was not immediate, having taken several transfer windows to get rid of the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, both of whom were on big money and underperforming. Youngsters such as Dan James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were instead brought in as promising talents with the hope they would realise their potential at Old Trafford.

His approach was combined with an effort to help the youngsters who needed time to settle by splashing big money on players deemed more ready to win, with Harry Maguire’s £80million transfer being one example. The plan appeared to work briefly, at least at face value, with United finishing third in 2019/20 and second in 2020/21.

Yet, there were signs even then that Solskjaer’s transitional period had hit a wall. Several of his younger players notably failed to develop how he would have wished.

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In terms of his own managerial skill, the Norwegian’s counter-attacking style worked in big games but it was clear he lacked the tactical know-how of his contemporaries, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola. That meant United didn’t have a clear and modern identity when it came to breaking down supposedly lesser Premier League opposition. Solskjaer also struggled to figure out his best XI, leading to inconsistency in results.

There was a knee-jerk reaction to that in the summer of 2021, which prompted Solskjaer and the United hierarchy to sign ready-made superstars. Edinson Cavani was brought in on a free transfer to complement the existing attack, which was itself a shrewd decision as he proved in his first season.

But adding the injury-prone £41m Real Madrid legend Raphael Varane, along with Cristiano Ronaldo late in the window due to fan-pressure and for commercial reasons, confirmed a departure from his own managerial philosophy and the foundations he had put into place. They were essentially purchased to bring overnight success with little consideration for how they would fit in at United and who they would unsettle.

Jadon Sancho’s big-money signing after a long transfer saga earlier that summer was more in line with what Solskjaer had planned for the club. Yet, the U-turn to instead bank on a veteran Ronaldo stunted his growth and he arguably later proved to be a bad fit generally for Premier League football.

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo himself enjoyed a fruitful first campaign back at Old Trafford but his lack of pressing proved detrimental to the team’s overall performances. The Portugal international’s arrival brought unnecessary drama to United as the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood clearly regressed.

With a plethora of egos now in his inflated squad and just 11 starting places each week, results faltered and players began to lose faith in Solskjaer’s project. A dismal run of results to start the 2021/22 season culminated in a 4-1 defeat at Watford, with the manager well aware that his time was up.

He was sacked the following morning by Ed Woodward, having deviated from his own blueprint and failed to cultivate the culture he wanted, with United arguably in a worse position than when he took over. Ralf Rangnick was brought in as his long-term successor, offering a very different plan for United, only to leave in the summer of 2022.

Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim were both appointed in the years since and, in defence of Solskjaer, fell short to varying degrees when it came to the success of their signings, consistency in results and offering an effective playing style.

However, last week, a full circle moment presented itself to Solskjaer, following Amorim’s sacking after his falling out with club bosses over tactics and player arrivals. The Norwegian was one of the candidates considered to take over as interim manager until the end of the 2025/26 season, along with Michael Carrick.

Solskjaer would have been desperate to take over the reins and right the wrongs of his rollercoaster tenure. But it has since emerged that Carrick, his own former assistant, impressed the United hierarchy with his vision and will take over instead.

It is also understood that some of the current crop of United players were not excited by the prospect of his return, expressing their lack of confidence in Solskjaer to club officials. As such, it’s fair to say the ghosts of Solskjaer’s first Old Trafford tenure crushed his biggest managerial dream once again.

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