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Man United's Solskjaer dismissal is a big deal.
Manchester United did not have a backup plan to remove Solskjaer. (1:39)
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In an alternate universe, Mauricio Pochettino's Manchester United have just won againstWatford to keep pace with the leaders and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is preparing his team for a trip to Brann.
Solskjaer was supposed to hand over the reins to the Argentine more than two years ago, but he is only saying his goodbyes. The plan was for Solskjaer to be the interim manager until the end of the season, so that United could prepare their approach to Spurs.
Ed Woodward insists there was no defining moment that caused the club to stray away from what had been decided, despiteSolskjaer's win over Spurs at Wembley in January 2019.
The Norwegian won his first eight games in charge but Woodward was impressed by the way he dealt with defeats to Wolves andArsenal. Solskjaer had the courage to call the defeat at Wolves the worst performance of his tenure.
Woodward insists that theSolskjaer's 14 wins from his first 17 games did not force his hand to appoint him permanently in March, but sources have told ESPN that people around the executive vice-chairman believe he was seduced by their friendly working relationship.
Solskjaer was brought in to make people smile and he did so until the bitter end. He could be heard joking behind the black screen, "I don't think they'll want to see me anyway", when the camera wouldn't work for his video news conference.
Solskjaer exit confirmed by Manchester United.
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Man United was unable to take the next step.
He was popular but had no edge.
When United were knocked out of the Europa League by Sevilla in August 2020, the travel department were nervous to tell Solskjaer they were struggling to arrange a plane to fly the team back from Cologne. He told them that they would have to stay in Germany for another night. The hotel in Bern for the match with Young Boys in September was not up to the usual standards, but Solskjaer just laughed it off. Jose would have gone crazy if he had been in charge.
Visitors to Solskjaer's office at Carrington were often surprised that he was the one making the tea or coffee, while he also insisted on sitting with his players at meal times rather than on the coaches table.
There were always concerns that Solskjaer wouldn't be able to compete with the best in the business, but Woodward told close colleagues he "played the part" of the United manager.
It started on his first day as a boss when he had to visit the staff Christmas party. He got on the dance floor after giving a short speech, even though he had to wear the club suit that Blind had left behind.
There was a feeling among some players that he was too desperate to be liked and that the angry streak that flared occasionally was not enough. The squad players would often leave meetings believing they were going to play in the games, only to find themselves on the bench at the weekend.
Too much delegation and broken promises.
Chris Smalling was told by Solskjaer that he was part of his plans for the coming season, but then was told on deadline day that he had actually been on the market all along. Smalling's representatives had been given too little time to sort out the details of his move to Roma. One source said there were too many broken promises.
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One player was surprised to get a call from United's chief negotiator Matt Judge to discuss whether or not to have an operation to correct an injury. Judge said it was delegated because it might be a difficult conversation.
Solskjaer insisted that he was not a coach but a manager and delegation became a key part of his plan.
A number of players became frustrated at the influence of assistant first team coach Kieran McKenna despite his limited experience in senior football. He played a significant role in training, team selection and often gave team talks instead of Solskjaer. One former United defender thought he wasn't being picked just becauseenna doesn't like him.
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Steve Nicol is reacting to reports that Manchester United is going to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Solskjaer told the owner that his staff was "world-class" after the defeat to the Reds, while sources told the website that he turned down the offer to hire another coach. The issue of his reluctance to rotate became an issue in the dressing room. Some players at the end of the season felt that the campaign had ended in lackluster semifinal defeats to Sevilla and Sevilla because they had been used up.
Some of the squad believed that Paul Pogba was given preferential treatment. Solskjaer moved the France international out to the left rather than stressing the need to improve if he wanted to keep his place after trying to get him to understand his defensive duties. Mino Raiola, the agent for Paul Pogba, was not reprimanded for his constant griping about his contract situation.
There are image issues.
At times, the club felt that Solskjaer's image was bordered on "bumbling." The club tried to help him rid himself of that image. United decided to move his news conferences to the later time of 1 p.m. on a Friday to give him time to get used to English after speaking Norwegian with his family at home each evening.
Solskjaer didn't like the image and was annoyed when veteran goalkeeper Lee Grant suggested that the team only ate dessert because of the return of CR7
The jokes eventually made their way into the dressing room and the squad laughed at the idea that Solskjaer was the one to go to for recommendations on streaming services because of his habit of watching replays on an iPad in the dugout. He had some senior players on his side after the heavy defeat to the Reds, but they were destroyed by Manchester City two weeks later.
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Mark explains why Mauricio Pochettino is the leading candidate.
The right time to leave?
Solskjaer, who only signed a new three-year contract in July, began to fear for his job after the 4-2 defeat to Leicester City. The players were locked in the dressing room for 45 minutes after the final whistle, demanding a response to Atalanta in the group stages of the European competition. Despite being reprimanded, United were 2-0 down inside 30 minutes before scoring three goals in the second half to win the game.
According to sources, the club believed Solskjaer deserved time to turn things around only for the defeat atWatford to make it clear that the situation could not be salvaged.
Solskjaer believes that his attempts to make United a more attacking team proved to be his undoing. He told his players over the summer that he would be implementing a style aimed at dominating more games after a number of impressive results. In the last seven games, United have conceded 19 goals. Solskjaer thinks that the centre-back Raphael Varane, who was the most important signing of the summer, would have helped the team if he'd been fit.
If nothing else, Solskjaer leaves United in a better position than when he took over and it's possible to believe that he did a good job and that it was time to go.
He didn't win a trophy, but he did win back-to-back top three finishes for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired and oversaw an English record run of 29 away games in a row. In 168 games under Solskjaer, United scored five or more goals on 10 occasions compared to twice in 302 games under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho.
Solskjaer achieved what he was brought in to do. The next step was too far after the foundation was built.
