Run It Back? Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Reportedly Eyes Manchester United Job

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly open to the idea of returning to Manchester United as the club searches for a caretaker or interim manager to take over from Ruben Amorim, just over four years after he was sacked by the Red Devils. Darren Fletcher will lead the team in the short-term, but the club is expected to name someone else in charge for the coming months, before a final permanent appointment is ultimately made ahead of next season.

'More than open'

It ended on a sour note for Solskjaer last time round, sacked the day after a heavy defeat to Watford compounded what was already a poor start to the 2021-22 season. But the Norwegian still holds Manchester United very close to his heart, almost 30 years after first joining as a player in the summer of 1996, and Fabrizio Romano has reported via his YouTube channel that Solskjaer would be "more than open" to returning to Old Trafford once more as manager in a caretaker capacity.

There is not thought to have been any contact from United at this time, but that is believed to be Solskjaer's position on the matter should the possibility, however remote it feels, arise. Drafted in as an interim is exactly how his first spell, which eventually lasted almost three years, came to happen when a previous United hierarchy sacked another Portuguese coach: Jose Mourinho.

The grass isn't always greener

Many United fans bemoaned the club's lack of tangible success during the Solskjaer era, which ran from December 2018 until November 2021. It's true that the former striker, who played 366 times for the Red Devils and had later spells in the first-team coaching staff and managing the reserves, was unable to win a trophy. However, he has proven more consistent than his two permanent successors.

In his two full seasons at the helm, Solskjaer oversaw third and second-place Premier League finishes, reached the semi-finals or better of five cup competitions, and brought the best out of Marcus Rashford and Antony Martial. His win percentage (54.2%) was marginally worse than Erik ten Hag (54.7%) – but over significantly more games – and is far better than Amorim achieved (38.1%). He also had a better such record than both David Moyes (52.9%) and Louis van Gaal (52.4%).

It may have fallen short of the impossible standards set by Sir Alex Fergsuon, but in this new way of looking at Manchester United, a club still finding its feet in the post-Fergie landscape, it certainly wasn't bad by any means. Of all those who have filled the hotseat since Ferguson retired almost 13 years ago, Solskjaer has also been the closest to harnessing what feels like the real 'United way'.

Solskjaer managed Man Utd at the 'worst time'

Speaking to BBC Sport as recently as November 2025, Solskjaer reflected on the difficulty that he faced as Manchester United manager, trying to build up a successful team at a time when Manchester City and Liverpool were both at their absolute peaks.

"It's not about getting the credit, but it was the worst time to be the manager of Manchester United. You have Jurgen Klopp with his Liverpool team and you have Pep Guardiola with his Manchester City team," he mused.

"Best managers in the world at the time and probably the two best teams in the world at the time. But we got second and third. So with the staff, we had something going but we couldn't take the next steps."

Solskjaer added that the pressure of being United boss was a "privilege", rather than something to be feared. "I felt privileged to be the manager of Manchester United, but of course it's not the same as playing. As a player, you just do your job. Suddenly, now you're the manager, you're the face of everyone. You think about all these supporters, players, everything surrounding Manchester United.

"But that pressure is a privilege because I was allowed to do that and I was allowed to deal with it in my way. And that was having great staff around us, an environment in and around the club that was very positive. But in the end, it doesn't matter if you enjoy coming to work every day, training sessions... you need results and we unfortunately had a very bad six-week spell and that's too long at a club like Manchester United and they made a change, which is fine."

Man Utd drawing up interim shortlist

Darren Fletcher has been placed in charge for at least this week, but the plan for Manchester United appears to be finding someone who can lead the team for the next few months until the summer. Then, a permanent appointment can be made, allowing time to get the crucial decision right.

Names for both the temporary and permanent gig are starting to be thrown around, with Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner and newly available Enzo Maresca linked with the latter. Ex-United captain Michael Carrick has been reported as a leading name for the former role, having previously succeeded Solskjaer as caretaker boss for a run of three games in 2021, until Ralf Rangnick was found.

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!