Manchester United are considering appointing a more experienced caretaker than Darren Fletcher for the remainder of the season, with multiple contenders already in the running
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is among the names Manchester United have contacted about a caretaker appointment until the end of the season. The potential return to Old Trafford comes just months after Marcus Rashford praised his previous spell at the helm.
The Norwegian, who has been out of work since parting ways with Besiktas last summer, is understood to be in contention, alongside Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy, for the temporary vacancy. United are opting to delay permanently replacing Ruben Amorim until the end of this season.
Solskjaer is the leading candidate to take them to that point. The former striker has intimate knowledge of the club, having spent 11 years as a player at Old Trafford before taking charge of the side for three years, from 2018 to 2021.
He maintains close relationships with several United players and has recently praised both Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire. Rashford, who is presently on loan at Barcelona from United, previously expressed his admiration for Solskjaer, having produced some of his finest performances under the club legend.
Speaking to Danish broadcaster TV2 in October last year, the forward said: “Ole is a fantastic person. I loved playing under him.
“I can speak for many of the players at Manchester United when I say that we enjoyed playing for him. We played good football under Ole.
“It was a very successful period for me personally. He is a fantastic person, and I don’t have a bad word to say about him.”
Rashford also revealed he maintains contact with Solskjaer “from time to time,” though he admitted “it’s been a while now” since their last conversation. The forward also featured more frequently and was more prolific under Solskjaer than any other United manager, registering 55 goals and 36 assists in 135 appearances.
Compared to Erik ten Hag and Mourinho, the academy product also achieved his most impressive minutes-per-goal ratio while working under the Norwegian. He scored once every 182 minutes, in contrast to once every 199 minutes under Ten Hag and every 251 minutes during Mourinho’s reign.
Solskjaer initially assumed caretaker responsibilities at United following Mourinho’s dismissal in December 2018, before securing the permanent position three months afterwards. His spell lasted nearly three years in total, with Michael Carrick and subsequently Ralf Rangnick serving as interim bosses before Ten Hag ultimately assumed control.
During an appearance on The Rest is Football in November, Solskjaer discussed Rashford, saying: “I’ve not spoken to Marcus since I left. I text him a little bit, but circumstances.
“I don’t know what’s happened in his life, but you can see he’s certainly enjoying it now in Barcelona. It looked like he didn’t enjoy himself here. I don’t think that’s just Man United [not enjoying it], it’s everywhere.
“All the pressures, every single one is different, we don’t know what’s happened to the players when they walk in in the morning, grumpy, that’s the manager’s job: ‘What’s up? I can see something’s wrong.’
“We don’t know what’s happened, we just want him to do well. He’s an incredible player when he’s in form and happy; he’s got that energy. I go back to Erling Haaland, just the energy that he shows all the time, when he’s on the pitch, he shows that enthusiasm and energy, that’s the least.
“But what is it? Life? Too many games? We don’t know, but he’s found the right balance.”
