Former Man Utd boss Solskjaer set for SURPRISE management return

Cameron Smith

• 12 Jan 2024 18:46 GMT
• 3 min read

Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly under consideration for the vacant position as Sweden’s national team head coach.

The Norwegian has been out of work since being sacked by Man Utd in November 2021, but he could return to the game with Sweden following reports that he was interviewed by the Swedish Football Association (SvFF) in December.

Recently, Solskjaer was also linked with the Besiktas job, but the Turkish giants opted to appoint former Portugal national team head coach Fernando Santos instead.

According to Fotbollskanalen, the ex-Man Utd boss is under consideration alongside current Blackburn Rovers head coach Jon Dahl Tomasson for the vacant position as Sweden head coach.

Furthermore, the SvFF have reportedly decided that their next manager doesn’t need to be Swedish, meaning Solskjaer’s Norwegian roots won’t rule him out of contention.

However, they have not made a decision regarding who will become the next manager, despite talks with Solskjaer.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time as Man Utd manager

Solskjaer, 50, oversaw 149 matches as Man Utd’s permanent manager - in addition to 19 as caretaker boss - before he was replaced by Ralf Rangnick in the Old Trafford dugout.

He guided the Red Devils to a second-place finish in his first full season in charge (2020-21), but was sacked just months into the following campaign following a 4-1 defeat away at Watford.

Solskjaer’s final 11 games in charge of Man Utd saw them pick up just three wins, with the result at Vicarage Road proving to be the nail in his coffin.

However, despite the poor end to his time at Old Trafford and the fact he’s been without a managerial job since departing Man Utd, Sweden are reportedly keen on Solskjaer becoming their next head coach.

The 50-year-old has only managed three clubs in his career (Man Utd, Molde and Cardiff), and has never taken charge of a national team before.