OLE GUNNAR SOLKSJAER would be open to a shock Old Trafford return – as the pressure mounts on Erik ten Hag.
The former Man Utd striker managed the club between 2018 and 2021.
Solskjaer left the Red Devils in November 2021 following a string of poor results.
He was replaced for the remainder of the season by Ralph Rangnick before current boss Ten Hag took over the following summer.
The Dutchman looked to have secured himself time to win over Man Utd fans after signing a new one-year contract extension in July.
But after another poor start to the season, including a draw with FC Twente this week, he is once again under pressure at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer appeared as a keynote speaker during the Oslo Business Forum on Thursday.
In a tongue-in-cheek moment, he was asked if he would return to United as manager sometime in the future.
The 51-year-old replied with a smile: “If the family [United] asks, I would say yes every day of the week.
“It feels wrong to talk about jobs that other people have now, but I would say yes, of course.”
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Ten Hag’s fellow Dutch countryman Ruud Gullit has piled in on the Red Devils boss claiming the players are not listening to him.
Gullit cited the moment Ten Hag was trying to speak with Alejandro Garnacho as he prepared to bring him on in the second-half against Twente as evidence.
Gullit said: “Ten Hag wanted to have a meeting with Garnacho, but he didn’t feel like it at all.
“Garnacho was preparing to come on and Ten Hag kept talking to him.
“You can just see it when a player thinks: ‘Dude, leave me alone, man!’”
Gullit says he was not shocked by United’s performance as it is becoming a recurring theme.
He said: “You could see that things just weren’t going well.
“Am I shocked by the football? No, because I see this every week. I think Twente played sensibly.”
‘Welcome back’
Fans have been reacting to the possibility of Solskjaer returning, with one saying: “Lowkey has a better game plan than Ten Hag. Would be a shrewd appointment.”
Another joked: “Welcome back to OT, Ole.”
While a third added: “He still has unfinished business at Old Trafford, and it would be interesting to see if he could bring fresh energy this time around!”
But a fourth countered: “So Ole’s ready to step back into the chaos? Can’t decide if that’s bravery or pure delusion. Guess some people just love the pain!”
And a fifth argued: “The end is near for Erik ten Hag.”
Man Utd player ratings vs FC Twente
MANCHESTER UNITED’S Europa League campaign got off to a less than ideal start with a miserable 1-1 draw against FC Twente at Old Trafford.
That result dealt a big blow to their chances of finishing in the top eight and avoiding two extra fixtures.
See how the players rated on an underwhelming night at Old Trafford.
Andre Onana – 6
Good save to push a free-kick from Sem Steijn to safety but might be disappointed to be beaten at the near post for Twente’s goal.
Diogo Dalot – 6
Early mistake near the corner flag could have been costly but he caused problems at the other end in build up to Christian Eriksen goal.
Harry Maguire – 6
Missed his tackle to put United on the back foot for the equaliser but almost won it late on with a header cleared off the line.
Lisandro Martinez – 7
Made several important clearances but one wild challenge on edge of his box could have proven costly.
Noussair Mazraoui – 6
New boy looks solid. Vital early tackle and another one later to stop Twente going in front.
Christian Eriksen – 7
Fourth successive start – and the veteran still looked sprightly. What a strike to give United the lead but then spoiled it with mistake for equaliser.
Manuel Ugarte – 6
A few good tackles from the new boy but might be disappointed not to clear his lines as Twente broke away for equaliser.
Marcus Rashford – 8
Much improved display in front of watching England interim boss Lee Carsley. Full of energy, a few tricks and a couple of dangerous crosses. More like his old self.
Bruno Fernandes – 6
Skipper had a hand in the opening goal and was so close to winning it with curler from the edge of the box.
Amad Diallo – 6
His pace was too much to handle for the visitors at times but not much of an end product this time and made way for Alejandro Garnacho midway through the second half.
Joshua Zirkzee – 5
A few good moments and forced a flying save from the visitors’ keeper after nice link up with Diogo Dalot – but then hooked for the fit-again Rasmus Hojlund.
Solskjaer spent 11 seasons at Old Trafford as a player, scoring 91 goals in 235 Premier League appearances.
He won six titles before hanging up his boots in 2007.
The Norwegian enjoyed two spells as manager of Molde either side of an an ill-fated tenure with Cardiff City.
He took charge of Utd in 2018 and led them to a third-placed finish.
A year later, Utd finished second – 12 points adrift of Man City – before losing the Europa League final on penalties to Villarreal.
On Wednesday, Ten Hag was left fuming as his Utd players laboured to a 1-1 draw against FC Twente.
He raged: “We’re disappointed as a team.
“We wanted more but it was far from good enough in the end.
“They looked like they wanted it more than us and that can’t be right.”
