Manchester United have confirmed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Jose Mourinho’s replacement on an in interim basis until the end of the season.
The Red Devils announced Mourinho’s shock departure on Tuesday morning following the club’s humiliating 3-1 defeat away to Liverpool that leaves them 19 points adrift of the Premier League leaders.
Reports quickly emerged in the aftermath of Mourinho’s departure suggesting United would turn to former defender Laurent Blanc to succeed Mourinho as caretaker manager but the club have instead moved for their former striker, Solskjaer, as well as re-appointing former assistant coach Mike Phelan.
“Manchester United is in my heart and it’s brilliant to be coming back in this role,” he told the club’s official website. “I’m really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club.”
The 45-year-old has spent the last three years in his native Norway managing Molde during a second stint and is widely expected to return to the club after completing the current English campaign.
United have appointed Solskjaer due to his connection to the club having spent 11 years as a player before retiring in 2007. Chief executive Ed Woodward has conceded the club became toxic under Mourinho and hopes Solskjaer can help bring smiles back on the faces of everyone associated at the club.
However, there are concerns about Solskjaer’s credentials to take on such a difficult job after failing so miserably during a short stint as Cardiff manager in 2014. After being appointed at the start of the year, Solskjaer oversaw just three wins in 18 Premier League matches as Cardiff were relegated back to the Championship.
Cardiff gave him the chance to lead the club back to the Premier League the following season but a poor start to the 2014/15 Championship campaign saw Solskjaer sacked just over a month into the season.
Remarkably, Solskjaer’s first game in charge of United will be away to Cardiff and his immediate task is to restore the feel-good factor at Old Trafford before trying to cut the current eight-point deficit to the top four.
