Man United: Solskjaer on courting Kane & Bellingham – Ronaldo deal was wrong

Former Man United coach

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played 366 games for Manchester United between 1996 and 2007, and was on the sidelines for the “Red Devils” from December 2018 to November 2021. The 50-year-old joined “The Athletic“said in detail regarding his dismissal and the period leading up to it. Solskjaer, who has not been back as head coach at a club since then but is now ready for a new commitment, said: “I have had offers. Most recently two from Saudi Arabia.” A move there didn’t materialize, but the Norwegian doesn’t feel tied to England.

“The DNA and identity of the club is important, a club where I can be my best self. It just has to be right,” explained Solskjaer, who named a failure during his time as coach at Old Trafford: “Well, there’s something missing: a trophy. A single penalty could have changed that, and my time there would be viewed differently.” What was meant was the lost 2021 Europa League final, which was only lost on penalties. Ultimately, his job was to “make the fans smile again, and we had achieved something.”

On the day of his dismissal, Solskjaer was invited to the office via text message from then-chief executive Ed Woodward. “It was an emotional day. Very emotional. I didn’t think it would be like this, but it was like leaving your family. I wanted to talk to all the players and say goodbye. I spoke to the coaches and staff. Then I went back to an empty house,” said the trainer, who was to be replaced by Ralf Rangnick until the end of the season. He wasn’t angry or bitter, just disappointed. “I hadn’t managed to do my dream job the way I had hoped.” However, there were “some great moments” during his tenure.

In order to take the next step up, Man United signed Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid) and the returnee Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus Turin) for a total of 142 million euros in the summer of 2021. The Portuguese superstar’s comeback in particular caused a stir, but it didn’t pay off. Speaking about the Ronaldo deal, Solskjaer said: “It was a choice that was difficult to refuse and I felt we had to make it, but it turned out to be wrong. It felt so right when he signed. (…) He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world.” In November 2022, Ronaldo left the top club “by mutual consent and with immediate effect.” The veteran had previously accused the United manager and coach ten Hag of “betrayal,” among others “accused and criticized the Glazer family who own it.

Manchester United: Solskjaer on Sancho and Bellingham

Solskjaer emphasized that Sancho, who came from BVB, was also what he wanted. “Manchester United will never sign a player the manager doesn’t want. That’s not the case everywhere. Jadon was rated by scouts as the number one target for the right wing, and when you look at his talent, I can understand why.” The offensive man, recently selected by ten Hag, has so far fallen short of expectations. “We haven’t seen the best of him yet.”

Solskjaer revealed that his ex-employer tried hard to get Jude Bellingham before he moved from Birmingham City to Borussia Dortmund for around 30 million euros in July 2020 and became one of the most sought-after young European professionals. “We really wanted Jude Bellingham – he is a Man United player (by the way; editor), but I respect that he chose Dortmund. That was probably sensible.” Bellingham recently went to Real Madrid for 103 million euros.

Center forward Harry Kane, who has since been transferred from Tottenham to FC Bayern for 100 million euros, was also on the radar. Solskjaer thought the Englishman would also have faced Man United: “I would have signed Kane every day of the week and my understanding was that he wanted to come. But the club lacked the budget given the financial constraints caused by Covid-19, there was no bottomless pit.”

When asked about the best new signings under his direction, the former attacker said: “Bruno Fernandes came straight in and raised the level of the team. Harry Maguire – it’s a shame he gets so much abuse. I feel sorry for him, but he’s a strong boy and I hope he’s okay. When he arrived he improved our defense enormously (…). I can’t remember all the signings under me, but I should because there was a cap on three main reinforcements each season.”

He understood his mission and agreed with it. “I can’t complain now and I’m not the type to whine after losing my job, but since I was there United have spent a lot more in the two summer transfer windows,” Solskjaer noted. A look at the TM database confirms his view: in 2022/23 the “Red Devils” invested 243 million euros, as much as only the spending champions Chelsea (611 million euros), this summer it was 207 million euros, which means seventh place in the global comparison of all clubs. In the 2021/22 season, which was characterized by Corona, there were “only” 142 million euros spent, but they still came second behind Arsenal in the international ranking. A year earlier, Man United spent 84 million euros on their new signings – 15th in spending.

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