Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Breaks Silence on Missing Out on Manchester United Manager Role
Ole Gunnar Solskjær reportedly harbors no resentment after Manchester United passed him over in their search for a new interim manager, with Michael Carrick poised to secure the position instead.
Carrick previously served as Solskjær's assistant throughout the Norwegian's tenure from 2018–21 and has limited top-level managerial experience beyond a brief three-match caretaker stint when he replaced his former boss. However, the former midfielder is said to have made a strong impression on the Old Trafford leadership during personal discussions while they deliberated over who should guide the team following Ruben Amorim's departure.
Solskjær also engaged with the club, promptly expressing his interest last week, but Carrick appears likely to receive the appointment through the season's conclusion. Darren Fletcher, who temporarily assumed control during the selection process, is expected to resume his current position as U18s manager.
BBC Sport's Simon Stone has indicated that Solskjær "wants Michael Carrick to make a success of the Manchester United job." Having been teammates and later colleagues, they have "maintained contact."
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, United correspondent Andy Mitten noted that Solskjær "spoke positively" about his fellow candidate during meetings with club leadership. Ultimately, "these are his friends."
Solskjær spent 11 years as a United player, three as a coach, and another three as manager. Despite his dismissal from the managerial role in late 2021, the club clearly remains deeply meaningful to him, and he developed enduring relationships with former teammates.
What Comes Next for Ole Gunnar Solskjær?
What Comes Next for Ole Gunnar Solskjær?
Solskjær's future path remains unclear. Since departing his United role over four years ago, his only managerial position was a troubled several-month stint at Beşiktaş in 2025.
The teams where he's achieved managerial success are those he knows intimately and regards as "family," in contrast to relatively unsuccessful brief periods elsewhere
Solskjær's United tenure, though trophy-less, delivered the type of stability that supporters have longed for in subsequent years.
He also guided Molde, where he made his playing breakthrough, to their inaugural Norwegian championship in 2011 before defending it in 2012. Two additional league titles followed after his departure in both 2014 and 2019. By comparison, his Cardiff City experience lasted just nine months.
Despite being only 52, Solskjær appears increasingly reluctant to pursue management... except when it involves Manchester United. Speaking at a 2024 Oslo event, he stated that if United, which he called "the family," approached him again, he would "accept immediately."
On a separate occasion, he told the BBC: "Man Utd is my family and will always be part of me."
The Beşiktaş experience, spanning eight months, may have permanently deterred him from management. After leaving Turkey, Solskjær and his wife have relocated to Greater Manchester while keeping their family residence in rural western Norway. Recent newspaper coverage even suggested he had "no intentions of returning to management" until the United possibility emerged.
With that opportunity now gone, it's difficult to imagine him accepting any other role.