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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final. EMPICS Sport
Club legend

Manchester United appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager

“Manchester United is in my heart and it’s brilliant to be coming back in this role,” said Solskjaer.

MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE confirmed the appointment of former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as caretaker manager until the end of the season. 

Jose Mourinho was relieved of his duties yesterday and he’ll be replaced by club legend Solskjaer, who scored the winning goal against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final.

He scored 126 goals in 366 appearances for United between 1996 and 2007, also lifting six Premier League titles and two FA Cups, among other honours, during his time as a player at Old Trafford.

He’ll be joined by Mike Phelan as first-team coach, working alongside Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna.

He arrives from Norwegian side Molde, having returned to the club for a second stint back in 2015.

“Manchester United is in my heart and it’s brilliant to be coming back in this role,” said  Solskjaer in a statement on the club’s website.

I’m really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club.”

At international level, he won 67 caps for Norway and was a member of their 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship squads, reaching the last 16 in the former.

Following his retirement, Solskjaer transitioned from the United playing squad to the managerial set-up, where he took charge of the reserves at Carrington under Alex Ferguson between 2008 and 2011.

He left the club to take the reins at Molde, where he had played before switching to United, and won the Tippeligaen league title in his first season in charge, in 2011.

He was coaxed back to the UK in early 2014 to replace Malky Mackay as manager of relegation-threatened Cardiff City but was unable to prevent the club from making the drop back into the Championship.

A subsequent dismissal followed after a run of poor results to open the 2014-15 campaign and Solskjaer was reappointed Molde boss the following October on a three-and-a-half year deal.

Ed Woodward stated: “Ole is a club legend with huge experience, both on the pitch and in coaching roles. His history at Manchester United means he lives and breathes the culture here and everyone at the club is delighted to have him and Mike Phelan back.

“We are confident they will unite the players and the fans as we head into the second half of the season.”

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