OLE: I DIDN’T THINK I’D GET CHANCE TO BE UNITED BOSS...
OLE Gunnar Solskjaer admitted he was surprised to be given the interim manager’s job at United after his terrible record managing Cardiff City.
The Norwegian was manager of Cardiff in 2014 when they were relegated from the Premier League and after a poor start in the Championship he stepped down after just nine months in charge.
The 46-year-old then returned to Norway to manage Molde before he was brought back to United following the sacking of Jose Mourinho in December after United’s worst ever start to a Premier League campaign.
Solskjaer is now favourite to land the manager’s job on a permanent basis but he never believed he would be in his current position given his disastrous spell in Wales.
“It has always been in the back of my head that this is the dream job,” Solskjaer told the Norwegian publication VG.
“Of course it is. But after what happened in Cardiff, I did not think that this would happen. But then they have obviously followed me. Ed has done a lot of background research and talked a little with those who know me, who know the club and who I have worked with. Then they took the chance.
“Then I had to be honest with myself. ‘Am I ready? Can I make a difference?’ As a supporter in all those years since moving from here, I’ve been thinking about Manchester United and what I wanted to do myself. And I felt this was something I could have done.”
Since taking the job Solskjaer’s ability has been questioned by some with Paul Ince claiming ‘anybody’ could have taken United on the 11-game unbeaten run which ended against Paris Saint-Germain at Old Trafford, but the Norwegian revealed his critics motivate him to succeed.
“I like to disprove critics,” Solskjaer said. “I have always thought that I have to do the best I can, the best job interview I can. It’s my responsibility as manager of United that I do my best. It is not up to me to consider if I live up to the standard, but I feel much more at home at Old Trafford”.