Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was brought in as a saviour at Manchester United in December 2018. Jose Mourinho had turned himself into a mess when adversity came, and had all his focus on scolding the club management, referees, opponents – and his own players. The Norwegian United legend came in smiling, saved the season and led United as the best manager since Alex Ferguson. Then Ole was sacked in November 2021. On Friday, conditions came to light, which probably had changed the situation in the 2021/22 season.
This week it was decided, Manchester City will not escape. Found guilty of 114 out of 115 cases of breach of financial rules. The big question now is what this means for the clubs that for eight seasons finished second in the Premier League behind City.
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There is already a lot of speculation about retrospective points penalties, which could lead to City being officially stripped of titles that the club won in the period in question.
If this happens, Manchester United will suddenly have three Premier League titles (11/12, 2017/18, 2020/21). The last one is then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In 2019/2020, Solskjaer led United to a 3rd place in the Premier League with City at the top. In the 2020/21 season, Solskjaer led United to 2nd place behind City.
Had Solskjaer entered the 2021/22 season as the reigning Premier League winners, not a jaw would have considered “our man” too easy and forced a dismissal, on November 21. United were then in 7th place in the Premier League table, twelve points behind Chelsea at the top. As the reigning league champion, Solskjaer would have had peace of mind going forward.
According to The Telegraph , the punishment for the extensive offences can vary enormously – ranging from fines to points penalties and forced relegation. So far, neither the Football Association nor the Premier League have made any statement regarding the Manchester City case, but it is expected that it will happen soon.
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We firmly believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have proven himself as Manchester United’s long-term coaching solution if he had been allowed to continue this season. By then, United supporters would have avoided sporting Premier League suffering with Ralf Ragnick, Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim (and Michael Carrick?).
With continued continuity, impact on signings and sales of players over time, as well as the use and development of the greatest academy talents, Ole Gunnar could have become the coach who lifted Manchester United to a continuous title level – like Alex Ferguson.
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