Ever since Manchester United announced the departure of Jose Mourinho as manager early Tuesday morning, speculation has been rife as to who will step into ‘The (Not So?) Special One’s’ shoes.
Who will try and fare better than David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal, and the aforementioned Portuguese and try and emulate virtually the impossible, the inimitable Sir Alex Ferguson?
The Red Devils, in inadvertent collaboration with a relatively unlikely figure, may have let the cat out of the bag earlier than intended.
The most successful club in English football had already outlined their intentions to appoint an interim or ‘caretaker’ manager to provide some stability
On Tuesday evening, the Manchester United official website seemed to announce former player and Treble-winning legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer by posting a short video with the caption;
“Solskjaer becomes our interim manager, 20 seasons after clinching the Treble with THAT goal at Camp Nou..."
The news was further confirmed by the surprising source of Norway Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, who tweeted (later deleted),
“Great day for Norwegian football. Good luck keeping control of the Red Devils, @olegs26_ole”.
Solskjaer is currently in charge of Norwegian side Molde in his second spell at the club.
An ill-fated period at Cardiff City in 2014 did little to burgeon his reputation in England as a manager; Solskjaer took charge of 30 games and won just nine, losing 16, and oversaw relegation back down to the Championship.
However, the ‘Baby Faced Assassin’ is still widely adored in the red side of Manchester and his name routinely chanted by the still-packed crowd at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer played at Manchester United for 11 years between 1996 and 2007, helping them to win the still historic continental treble in 1999.
If the news is officially confirmed (again) by the club, Solskjaer is likely to face his old club the Bluebirds this weekend at the Cardiff City Stadium for United’s next Premier League fixture.
