Solskjaer named Manchester United caretaker manager
LONDON: Manchester United turned to a popular former player by hiring Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager until the end of the season on Wednesday, 20 seasons after he scored the winning goal in the Champions League final.
Nicknamed the “Baby-faced Assassin” during his time as a United player from 1996-2007, Solskjaer was known for his ability to conjure up late goals typically as a substitute — none bigger than that close-range winner three minutes into injury time against Bayern Munich at Camp Nou in 1999.
Now he is on another rescue mission at United: To resuscitate the team after its worst start to a league season in 28 years, which led to the firing of Jose Mourinho on Tuesday. “Manchester United is in my heart,” Solskjaer said, “and it’s brilliant to be coming back in this role. I’m really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club.”
Solskjaer had been coaching Norwegian team Molde, who said it had agreed to “lend” him to United to “help to put Molde further on the football map.” He recently signed a three-year deal with the team. “In football, you never know what can happen,” Solskjaer said. “This is an opportunity I had to take.”
MOURINHO SPEAKS OUT
LONDON: Jose Mourinho said on Wednesday he has a “future without Manchester United”, speaking for the first time since he was sacked. The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss refused to go into details about his departure. “I don’t change. And what I did when I left Chelsea, for example, is the same as that I’m going to do now,” Mourinho said.