Shortly after Ole Gunner Solskjaer retired as a footballer after 11 years at Manchester United, he became coach of the reserve team in 2008.
During the two years he was there before leaving for Molde, he was put in charge of Welsh attacking midfielder Tom Lawrence who came up through the club’s academy.
Tom made his debut for Manchester United on 6 May 2014 against Hull City, the same autumn he was sold to Leicester. – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has received plenty of funds for reinforcements in his new job as manager of Besiktas.
Now Tom Lawrence has become a priority signing for Besiktas.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been linked with a number of jobs since he was fired from Manchester United just over three years ago. Some of the time he has spent working as a technical observer for UEFA. Now he has signed a contract with Besiktas until the end of the 2025/2026 season – with an option for an extra year.
The club confirmed his appointment on Saturday morning, stating that Solskjaer will make “significant contributions to our club” after replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Solskjaer could take charge for his first game against Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League on Thursday and has expressed his excitement about his new gig.
“I’m very happy to be here. It’s great to have so many people here for this great club,” Solskjaer said at Ataturk airport.
“We have had our first meetings. I can’t wait to start my job. It’s great to be in this great city.”
And the 51-year-old already seems to have one key signing lined up. According to Fabrizio Romano, Besiktas are keen on Rangers striker Tom Lawrence, who Solskjaer worked with when he was reserve team boss at United.
The international, who only played once for United’s first team, spent five years with Derby County before moving up to Scotland and winning the Scottish League Cup last season.
He has played 55 times for the Glasgow giants and scored 11 goals. But his contract only has six months left, which means he is free to negotiate a summer departure with foreign clubs.
Lawrence is queuing up to meet his former employers on Thursday when Rangers travel to Old Trafford to play United in the Europa League.
Besiktas’ squad includes a number of former Premier League players, including Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joao Mario, Gedson Fernandes, Gabriel Paulista, and Arthur Masuaku.
Not only will Solskjaer face Jose Mourinho, now manager of Fenerbahce, in a tasty Istanbul derby, there is a possibility of him leading a team from Besiktas against United.
The two teams could meet in the Europa League, although Besiktas have won just two of six European games and are in 28th place – with United in seventh and on course for automatic qualification for the next round.
