Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ‘re-watched all 168 games as Man Utd manager’ since leaving

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reportedly re-watched all 168 matches from his time as Manchester United manager in the year since he left the club.

Solskjaer was sacked by United last November after just under three years in charge, following a disappointing start to the 2021-22 season. 

His final game saw the Red Devils lose 4-1 against Watford, a defeat that left the team in eighth place in the Premier League after losing five of their opening 12 top-flight matches.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked by Man United last November after a poor run of results

His final game in charge saw United beaten 4-1 by Watford in the Premier League

United were also thrashed 5-0 by Liverpool and comfortably swept aside by local rivals Manchester City in the final weeks of Solskjaer’s reign, games that you may expect the Norwegian to want to forget in a hurry.

However, The Athletic have revealed that he has gone back and watched those two matches plus the other 166 that he was on the touchline for.

During his reign at Old Trafford, Solskjaer guided United to a second-placed finish in 2020-21, while they also made the final of the Europa League in the same season, losing to Villarreal on penalties.

Despite narrowly missing out on a European trophy, things had looked promising for United at the end of their 2020-21 campaign, and that summer they added Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane to their squad.

Solskjaer’s reign went downhill quickly, as he left United down in eighth place in the league

It seemed that they could be genuine title contenders after those signings, but their results fell away alarmingly, and this ultimately cost Solskjaer his job. 

He was unable to pick up any silverware, unlike his predecessor Jose Mourinho, and could not bring back the glory days that the club enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson, but it is understood that Solskjaer is ‘satisfied’ with his time as United boss. Incidentally, those are the only two post-war United managers with a higher win rate than Solskjaer, other than current manager Erik Ten Hag who only arrived in the summer.

Solskjaer feels he was building something ‘special’ with the squad, and was happy with the team spirit that had developed, even though he departed with them outside of the European places.

The squad continued to struggle after his exit, eventually finishing down in sixth, 35 points adrift of title-winners City.

In the 12 months that have passed since he left United, Solskjaer has remained a keen observer of European football, while also taking up new hobbies away from the sport.

The 49-year-old has learned how to sail back in his homeland of Norway, but also has a home in Cheshire, allowing him to watch games in England regularly.

He still has a burning desire to get back into management, and now feels ready to return to the dugout.

Job offers have not been in short supply in recent months, with Solskjaer having already had opportunities to end his time away from the game.

The chance to move into television work has also been presented to Solskjaer, but he has turned this down, waiting for the right moment to resume his managerial career.

Having watched games from across Europe over the past year, it appears that Solskjaer is keeping his options open, and is not set on taking up a coaching role in England.

As well as managing United, Solskjaer also had a brief spell at Cardiff in 2014, but was unable to save them from relegation to the Championship.

His other roles have come in Norway, but perhaps a different country could provide him with his next opportunity as he looks to bounce back from his disappointing end at United to prove that he still has plenty left to offer.