Manchester United news: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed as interim manager as club chase Mauricio Pochettino
Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free
Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been appointed as Manchester United's next manager.
Jose Mourinho was sacked after two-and-a-half years in charge on Tuesday morning after a disappointing start to the season with the 3-1 Premier League defeat to Liverpool on Sunday proving the last straw. Solskjaer takes over as caretaker boss alongside former assistant Mike Phelan with the club considering their options for the long-term successor.
Please allow a moment for the blog to load...
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to appointed as Manchester United's next manager.
Jose Mourinho was sacked after two-and-a-half years in charge on Tuesday morning after a disappointing start to the season with the 3-1 Premier League defeat to Liverpool on Sunday proving the last straw. Solskjaer is set to take over as caretaker boss alongside former assistant Mike Phelan with the club considering their options for the long-term successor.
We will have all the latest from Old Trafford right here so don't touch that dial.
Right, this is where we're at.
Manchester United have held advanced talks with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to replace Jose Mourinho as manager.
The club want to appoint a stand-in for the rest of the season before the weekend, with a view to re-assess their managerial position in the summer, and a key requirement is someone who understands the club culture after the perceived divisions fostered under Mourinho.
As a club legend Solskjaer fits the mould, and it is understood the players are expected to be told he will be their next manager on Tuesday night.
Many of them at the same time feel that coach and former Michael Carrick could be a good stand-in option as he is hugely popular among the players.
The former midfielder will naturally be kept on if Solskjaer is appointed, but Mike Phelan will return to the club in an assistant role.
Latest from Miguel Delaney:
Solskjaer left when Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, and sources say that the Scot has been actively consulted throughout the process of replacing Mourinho.
If a deal is agreed, United will activate a clause in Solskjaer's contract with current club Molde.
Laurent Blanc is seen as a contender, but is understood to have had reservations about a short-term role.
As for a long-term successor, well. The club have options.
We know what the short-term will look like, but what about the long-term? Well it could be costly.
Manchester United will have to pay Tottenham pay £34 million in compensation if they wish to hire Mauricio Pochettino at the end of this season.
Pochettino signed a new five-year contract at Spurs earlier this year which doesn’t include a release clause meaning the only way United can sign the Argentinian is to buy him out of his current contract worth £8.5m per year.
Real Madrid made Pochettino their preferred candidate after sacking Julen Lopetegui at the end of October, but all approaches by the Spanish giants were swiftly rebuffed by Spurs.
Pochettino refused to dismiss speculation that he could be interested in the United role, which he's long believed to have coveted, but has a very close relationship with Spurs' Daniel Levy and is reluctant to leave at a crucial time when the club will begin their first season at the new stadium.
Pochettino also enjoys working with a youthful squad at Spurs, despite being agitated at the club's inability to make any signings in the previous window, whereas at United he would be plunged into a mire of egos and player power.
United want Pochettino but as Miguel Delaney notes, it's far from an easy deal to conclude.
Have United announced Solskjaer by accident?
In a tribute to the former player, which was posted on the official United website before being later taken down, the club posted a video of Solskjaer scoring in the 1999 Champions League final victory with the headline: ”The most famous night of Ole’s career.”
Underneath that, a caption read: “Solskjaer becomes our interim manager, 20 seasons after clinching the Treble with THAT goal at Camp Nou...”
This comes as Norway’s prime minister, Erna Solberg, tweeted her congratulations to fellow compatriot Solskjaer on landing the United job.
In a tweet that was later deleted, Solberg said: “Great day for Norwegian football. Good luck keeping control of the Red Devils, @olegs26_ole.”
Mauricio Pochettino has spoken about his long-term future but as Jack Pitt-Brooke suggests he didn't go anywhere near far enough.
It was a wild, wild day yesterday.
This is a must-read from Miguel Delaney on how it all came to be and why, ultimately, it was inevitable from the very moment he was appointed.
Solskjaer learned a great deal from Sir Alex Ferguson in his playing days and he will be using every last bit of knowledge from the legendary Scot when he finally takes the reins, some seven years earlier than planned.
"I am not ashamed of saying that if I enjoy management and that invitation came in 15 years time I would say yes," he said ahead of his return to his homeland in 2010. "Everyone who has played for Manchester United dreams about it. Me, Ryan Giggs, Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes.
"More than anything, the last few years have shown me you need experience and you need to be the best to be the manager of Manchester United.
"How the gaffer has handled the club and managed it is a fantastic example to anyone.
"He is the encyclopedia of how to manage and I do daydream about what might happen in 15 or 20 years time when I have the experience."
And there we have it.
Manchester United confirm Ole Gunnaer Solskjaer.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies