Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opens up about the private meeting that ended his dream. He also reveals what a world-famous colleague said about the job.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sits four years after his farewell and shares the details of the brutal day when his dream job ended. In an interview with the BBC, he talks about the text message that ended everything.
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“I got a text message: ‘Ole, I need to meet you in my office’. I knew what was going to happen, so I called my wife right away,” says the 52-year-old.
Solskjaer’s Manchester United story: From legend to manager
The story starts where it also left off as a player: at Old Trafford. After a legendary playing career at United, where “Babyface Assassin” scored the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final, he returned as interim manager in December 2018. After a fantastic start with 14 wins in 19 games, the position was made permanent in March 2019.
As a manager, he led United to a second-place finish in the Premier League and a Europa League final. He also led a major investment round in the summer of 2021, when he brought Cristiano Ronaldo back to the club, signed Jadon Sancho for £72 million and secured Raphaël Varane from Real Madrid.
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The season started promisingly with four wins in the first five games, but turned around brutally. A crushing 4-1 defeat to Watford in November 2021 was the final straw. The next day, he received the fateful message.
“It was sad. We lost to Watford and I knew this was more or less the end,” Solskjaer said. The family was already on his way back to Norway when he himself went to the office to get the official message.
“The pressure is a privilege”
In reflecting on his time, he still appreciates the chance he was given.
“That pressure is a privilege because I was allowed to do it, and I was allowed to handle it my way,” he says. “The environment in and around the club was very positive. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you enjoy coming to work every day – you need results.”
Ancelotti’s statement says it all
Solskjaer admits that the job as United manager is overwhelming, even for the most experienced. He reveals a striking encounter with the experienced Carlo Ancelotti.
“I was standing in my technical area against Everton. Carlo Ancelotti comes over and the fourth referee says, ‘Carlo, you have to go back, unless you want Ole’s job.'”
Ancelotti, with experience from Juventus, Milan, Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern, then replied:
“No, no, no. Too much pressure. That job has too much pressure.”
“You know pressure is a privilege, he’s always said that,” Solskjaer added. “And I felt privileged to be the manager of Manchester United. But of course, you’re the face of everything that surrounds the club.”
In the end, he concludes with a resigned experience:
“I think it was abrupt, but not surprising. If you don’t get results, you make a change in football. But I felt that we had something going on.”
