Manchester United: The Sacking of Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Manchester United has recently made headlines for their decision to sack manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, following a string of disappointing results. The Norwegian, who had been in charge since December 2018, was relieved of his duties in November 2021, with the club sitting in seventh place in the Premier League and struggling to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Solskjaer’s tenure at Manchester United had been a mixed one. He initially took over on an interim basis following the sacking of Jose Mourinho and oversaw a remarkable turnaround in form, winning 14 of his first 19 games in charge. This earned him a permanent appointment in March 2019, but the team’s performances began to decline soon after.

Despite spending heavily on new players in the transfer market, Manchester United struggled to challenge for major honours under Solskjaer’s leadership. They finished third in the Premier League in the 2019/20 season and reached the Europa League final, but lost to Villarreal on penalties. The following season, they finished second in the league but were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages.

The decision to sack Solskjaer was not taken lightly by the Manchester United board, who had backed him with significant investment in the transfer market. However, a run of just one win in five league games, including a 4-1 defeat to Watford, was deemed unacceptable for a club of United’s stature.

In the immediate aftermath of Solskjaer’s departure, former Real Madrid and Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti was strongly linked with the job. However, it was eventually announced that former United midfielder and current interim manager Michael Carrick would take charge of the team for the foreseeable future.

Carrick’s first game in charge saw Manchester United beat Villarreal 2-0 in the Champions League, and he will be hoping to build on this promising start as he looks to stake his claim for the permanent manager’s job. Whoever takes charge at Old Trafford in the long term will inherit a talented squad of players, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and Marcus Rashford, and will be expected to challenge for major honours both domestically and in Europe.