💥 Check out this must-read post from BBC Sport 📖
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His critics say this was a mistake.
Negotiators still argue otherwise.
“People talked about his philosophy, but the training was led by Kieran [McKenna]An insider told the BBC.
“Ole was on the grass but he was following training. In that sense, his methods were similar to Carlo Ancelotti’s.
“He was great at managing players. The culture was amazing. He was a close friend. The players wanted to play with him, and the style of football was what everyone wanted.”
It showed on the field.
After finishing sixth in that initial season, United finished both of Solskjaer’s full seasons in third and second place – their highest consecutive top-flight finish since Ferguson’s retirement. They reached the semi-finals out of six in the cup competitions.
But most importantly, they didn’t win anything. The closest they came was a penalty shootout loss to Villarreal in the 2021 Europa League final when a missed penalty kick from goalkeeper David de Gea proved decisive.
Lack of silverware was a problem.
“It was like an albatross that he was carrying,” the insider said. “Especially the whole second year, people kept saying, ‘Is he going to win something?'” he added.
Despite this, there was internal belief in Solskjaer and his team. In July 2021, his contract was extended until 2024. Woodward said the foundations were now in place for “long-term success”.
The return of Cristiano Ronaldo was added to the big-money arrivals for Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane – and the Portuguese star then scored twice on his debut against Newcastle to send Manchester United top of the Premier League. The mood was jubilant.
It has proven to be the ultimate false dawn.
BBC Sport understands that United’s dressing room, almost exclusively, was delighted with Ronaldo’s arrival. Solskjaer felt the returning striker would set the standard and show his teammates what it takes to get to the top.
Ferguson wanted him. Woodward wanted him. The fans wanted it.
A dressing room source said: “The problem was the way Ole and Kieran contributed to the squad, you couldn’t bring in too many players who weren’t running back. “He needed legs, he needed pressure.
“The system had to change, which is good to accommodate a top player, but Ole couldn’t make it work. Ronaldo was effective but his arrival took something very big out of the system he had been working on for two and a half years.”
They collapsed within six defeats in 11 games over two months, including a stunning defeat at home to Liverpool. A loss to Watford – with United conceding two goals in stoppage time – proved to be the end.
There are those who think that was unfair.
“That match was chaotic,” a locker room source said. “The result indicates that everything went wrong,” he added.
“It wasn’t the case, but that’s when you need support. The usual hype about ‘losing the dressing room’ started. It never happened. Maybe he lost a player or two, but they usually don’t get picked.”
Solskjaer privately knew his time was up and the final rites of his tenure came in a short and emotional meeting with Woodward the following morning.
“Maybe Ole would have sorted it out in the end, but he didn’t in the first few months and the club was in a bad position,” says one person familiar with the decision-making process.
As it turned out, first under the caretaker leadership of Michael Carrick, then Ralf Rangnick, with the same group of players, United won 10 matches and lost only two of their next 18 matches.
Could Solskjaer have engineered the same turn of fortunes?
No one will ever know. But looking back, maybe his time in office wasn’t so bad after all.
⚡ What do you think?
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