Solskjaer accepts Molde role
-
Manchester United reserve-team coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be unveiled as the new manager of Norwegian club Molde later this week.
Solskjaer has twice turned down the top job at his former club but negotiations have re-opened and the Old Trafford legend looks set to end his 14-year association with the Red Devils.
It is reported the 37-year-old flew to Molde on Tuesday to hold talks with the club's chairman Erik Berg and although no final agreement has yet been reached, Berg hinted Solskjaer could be unveiled at a press conference this week.
Berg said: "It's no secret that we have worked intensely to get Ole Gunnar. But we have not signed any contract yet. I can't guarantee that we will have a press conference this week but put it this way: I will be delighted to welcome you all back soon."
Solskjaer scored 31 goals in 42 matches for Molde in the Norwegian Premier League, before joining United in 1995 and going on to seal six Premier League titles and famously score the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final.
Former Manchester City striker Uwe Rosler saved the club from relegation in his job as temporary coach but will return to England - where he has a family home.
-
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his position at Manchester United to become manager of Norwegian side Molde.
Solskjaer, 37, left Molde for Old Trafford in 1996 and, following his retirement in 2007, worked for United coaching the club's strikers.
He was appointed United's reserve-team manager in 2008, bringing through the likes of Federico Macheda, Rafael and Fabio, and he won last season's Premier Reserve League as well as the Lancashire and Manchester Senior Cups in 2009.
"Ole has accepted the position at Molde and he goes with our best wishes," Sir Alex Ferguson said on Tuesday. "Ole has had a good period with our reserve team, which has given him a foundation to start somewhere else.
"He feels it is time he went back to Norway, which also helps his family situation. He has been a fantastic servant to us and I am sure he will do well.
"He has worked with some really good young players in our reserve team and has contributed to their development.
"Once he gets experience of managing a club in its own right, who knows where it will take him? Molde is a very progressive club in Norwegian football, so this is a good start for him."
Gary Neville has been touted as a possible successor as reserve-team manager, but Ferguson denied any decision had been made.
"I have no idea who takes over the reserves," he said. "We will just leave it at the moment."
Solskjaer replaces former Manchester City striker Uwe Rosler as Molde boss and will begin the role in January.
At a press conference on Tuesday, he said: "Molde FK has historically had a big focus on youth and the young players have shaped both Molde FK and Norwegian football. The focus will remain on youth.
"This is a dream job. I have discussed my future career with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and his advice was clear: You should choose to work at a club where you like the owners, directors and other people there. The choice was therefore easy, and my family wants the same thing."
Molde chairman Erik Berg said: "Ole Gunnar could afford to pick and choose from an array of exciting jobs, but he has chosen to become manager of Molde FK.
"Uwe Rosler and (assistant) Gunnar Halle have shown during the autumn that there is a lot right with this team. Uwe took the job during a critical time, and he deserves a big thank you. He brought out the energy in the team and the club, and he made Solskjaer's decision easier."
Solskjaer lies 16th on United's all-time leading scorers list with 126 goals in 366 games, and became an Old Trafford hero during his 11-year playing career at the club.
He wrote his name into United folklore as the ultimate 'super-sub' when he came off the bench to score the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich.
-
I thought Chicharito can learn a thing or 2 from Ole but seems like Ole has other plans.
Oh well, good luck Ole!
-
OLE GUNNA SOLSKJAER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY FAVE MAN UTD PLAYER OF ALL TIME.TRUE LEGEND.ABSOLUTELY LOYAL PLAYER TO MAN UTD.