Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reflected on the moment he knew he was going to be sacked as Manchester United manager.
The 50-year-old Norwegian is a legend at Old Trafford having enjoyed a glittering playing career at the club, which included scoring the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final to help them win the Treble.
He returned to manage the Red Devils in December 2018, initially as caretaker boss when he took over from Jose Mourinho, before he went onto spend almost three years in the role.
Solskjaer’s high watermark came in 2020-21 when he guided United to a second place finish, but results began to deteriorate at the beginning of the following campaign before he was sacked in November 2021 after a 4-1 defeat to struggling Watford – which was his side’s fifth loss in seven games.
And Solskjaer has revealed he knew the writing was on the wall during that fateful day at Vicarage Road and remarkably explained how he even informed his players mid-game that he expected to be dismissed.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reflected on his sacking at Man United manager in November 2021
His final match was a dismal 4-1 loss to Watford, which was United’s fifth defeat in seven games
‘Nobody told me (that I was going to lose my job), but I knew at half-time against Watford,’ he told The Athletic.
‘We didn’t look like a Man United team; the players weren’t running for each other.
‘At half-time, I told the players it was probably going to be the last time we worked together and to play with pride. We almost turned it around, until Harry Maguire got sent off.’
United did indeed almost mount a comeback as after being 2-0 down at half-time, Donny Van de Beek pulled a goal back before Maguire picked up two yellow cards in seven second half minutes.
Cristiano Ronaldo then had a goal ruled out for offside, before Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis netted injury time goals to condemn United and Solskjaer to their fate.
And the Norwegian also explained how the aftermath of the match played out, with United dispensing with his services the following day.
He added: ‘I got a text message the next morning from Ed Woodward saying he needed to see me in his office at Carrington.
‘That was pretty hard when you’ve been at the club for 18 years with all those good and bad times.
Solskjaer explained he told his players at half-time of the clash that he was going to be sacked
The Norwegian also reflected on the pain he felt at leaving a club he had so much history with
‘I’d had lots of backing and good times with Ed. He’d given me the chance and for that, I’ll always be grateful.’
He continued: ‘I dropped my family at the airport before the text arrived. After the text, I told my wife that I might be back in Norway before her.
‘It was an emotional day. Very emotional. I didn’t think it would be, but it was like leaving your family.
‘I wanted to speak to all the players and say goodbye. I spoke to the coaches and the staff. Then I went back to an empty house.’
