Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side dominated English football for decades, and one of his key men could have joined Wolves instead.
In the 1990s, the Old Gold were a staple of the second tier of English football. Across those seasons, the closest they came to promotion was under the tenure of Mark McGhee.
In 1996/1997, Wolves came third in the Championship, but they would not reach the play-off final after losing 4-3 on aggregate to Crystal Palace.
However, an admission from a Manchester United hero suggests he could have been playing at Molineux back then, and perhaps they could have come up to the Premier League much sooner.
Wolves could have signed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in action for Manchester United against Fenerbahce
Undated: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (left) of Manchester United takes on Saffat (right) of Fenerbahce during a Champions League match at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. Fenerbahce won the match 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Clive Brunskill/Allsport
Ahead of the 1996/1997 season, Wolves were looking for a striker, and then manager Mark McGhee decided to scout players at Norway vs Azerbaijan.
The Old Gold had Steve Bull, but they wanted to strengthen in hopes of reaching the Premier League.
In that match, there was a young Norwegian star that was making a name for himself at Molde, and that was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Throughout his time in the Eliteserien, the Norwegian first division, the striker managed to score 34 goals in 46 games for Molde.
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It was an excellent return for the player, and he would also bring that prowess to the international level. That is where his opportunities opened, and there was a chance to join Wolves.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Besiktas manager
Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images
Speaking with BBC Sport, Solskjaer recounted the time he moved to England and hinted it could have led him to Molineux instead. “So for Norway, this is probably one of the most important games in my career. We played Norway against Azerbaijan, and I scored two very good goals.
“Coincidentally, Jim Ryan – the assistant manager – was watching Ronny Johnsen, who we signed. He was sitting next to Mark McGhee, who at that time was Wolverhampton manager, chatting as they do. Mark McGhee is looking for a centre-forward, Jim Ryan’s watching the game and I score two goals.
“So he thinks, ‘OK, Wolverhampton will probably sign this boy.’ He rang Sir Alex [Ferguson] that night and said, ‘I think I found one, and he won’t be expensive. It’s a cheap one, but we’ve got to be quick because Wolverhampton are also signing a centre-forward.’ It went really, really fast.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Molineux as Manchester United manager
Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
In truth, with the Wanderers in the Championship at the time and the Red Devils flying high in the Premier League, there would not have been much chance of going head-to-head against them.
The only way Wolves could have beaten them to his signature was if Manchester United’s Jim Ryan did not go to the game.
And this is not the first time the Wanderers have missed out on a top striker.
Interestingly, there was another Wolves connection, as in the game Solskjaer speaks about, former Old Gold manager Stale Solbakken also scored twice.
Solbakken is now the Norway manager and has led his nation to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years.
Wolves would end up signing Iwan Roberts instead
With Manchester United snapping up Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Wolves set their sights elsewhere, and that landed them on Welsh forward Iwan Roberts.
The Old Gold would spend £1.3 million on signing him from Leicester City, where he had scored 27 goals in 66 games.
He spent just one season at Molineux, scoring 12 goals. However, supporters may remember that famous hat-trick against rivals West Brom, making him the second Wolves player to do so in that fixture.
Player Competition Date Result
Terry Wharton Football League Division One Mar 9, 1963 Wolves 7 – 0 WBA
Iwan Roberts Football League Division One Sep 15, 1996 WBA 2 – 4 Wolves
Wolves players to score hat-tricks vs West Brom
Roberts left Wolves after they failed to secure promotion that season and joined Norwich City for £850,000.
But that hat-trick will always remain part of his short legacy at the Old Gold.
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