Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s spell in charge at Manchester United was eventful to say the least. He was hoping for a second chance, but won’t get it.
Michael Carrick is set to get the nod as Manchester United interim manager until the end of the season, beating competition from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
It has led to us looking back on where it all went wrong for the Norwegian during his first spell, looking at the real reasons it all went wrong.
Michael Carrick is the new favourite for the Man Utd interim job, are you happy with this?
Manchester United Coach Michael Carrick celebrates at the end of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford on December 2, 2021
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In 2024, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gave his most revealing interview about his spell as Manchester United manager.
Speaking to the Overlap, Solskjaer admitted that recruitment turned out to be the biggest reason his spell at United did not become a success.
He admitted that the Cristiano Ronaldo move backfired, despite supporting it at the time when Ed Woodward made an executive call to strike a deal.
Solskjaer had a list of players he wanted and did not get. Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice were on his wishlist, and United delivered Odion Ighalo, Donny van de Beek and Jadon Sancho.
Manchester United New Signing Donny van de Beek
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Ed Woodward has now gone, replaced by Ineos
Ed Woodward was a total disaster for Manchester United, and he should have been sacked after his first summer in charge in 2013. The Glazers’ neglect of the club left him in charge regardless.
We wrote in 2020, ‘Ed Woodward and the Glazers sucking life out of Manchester United‘.
This was the backdrop of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s management. He had to try and build a squad with the worst chief executive in football history behind him.
Solskjaer’s plea to sign Haaland was denied twice, while Woodward and the Glazers managed to derail the 2020/21 season by signing up to the Super League.
What was Ed Woodward’s biggest blunder in charge at Manchester United?
Ed Woodward was a TOTAL DISASTER!
Ed Woodward
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The move prompted unprecedented fan backlash that saw supporters manage to postpone a Premier League game between United and Liverpool.
The problem was that this created a fixture congestion that had an impact on United’s preparations for the Europa League Final.
Woodward quit in the wake of the backlash, but only at the end of 2021. He stayed on to clinch the move for Ronaldo, who ended up accelerating Solskjaer’s demise.
The final insult was Woodward’s chum Richard Arnold being served up as his successor. It meant that another two years of missteps followed.
Ineos have been in charge since investing in the club, taking charge of recruitment since 2024.
The jury is still out on their signings long-term, but they have overhauled the strategy, hiring specialists and using data in an intelligent way. United are also targeting young players from around the world, taking smart low-cost gambles.
This new smart structure will support the new manager, in a way Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did not benefit from properly between 2018 and 2021.
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The Glazers are still at United
The root of Solskjaer’s failings can be traced back to Ed Woodward and the Glazers, just like the managers before him. Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho both also failed to turn United around because the club was run so poorly.
Woodward is gone, but the Glazers still remain at the club, lurking in the shadows and hiding behind Ineos.
Ineos are a useful shield for the Glazers now. If they get it wrong, they carry the can, and the Glazers can carry on focusing on their interests in the US.
The problem is that the Glazers still have oversight on financial decisions, and still have the right to have a say on big decisions like the manager’s role, and crucially on new signings.
The Glazers have put the club in an impossible financial position, and United are still paying off transfer deals for players signed several seasons ago.
Despite United’s huge income, the club are in a constant spending battle due to the huge debt in the background. Right now the club must pay off £175 million by March.
Until the Glazers are gone, no manager will have a true shot of succeeding on their own merit. Every decision taken at club level is made with a compromise, United are operating like a clapped out Ferrari with the handbrake on, when this supercar should be going full throttle
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Patrick Dorgu celebrates with his teammates during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United.
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