- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked as Man United manager in November 2021
- Solskjaer reflected on his last game and how he knew he would be sacked
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast Everything starts !
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reflected on the moment he knew he was going to be sacked as Manchester United manager in an interview with Athleticism.
The 50-year-old Norwegian is a legend at Old Trafford having enjoyed a distinguished playing career at the club, including 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, first as interim boss when he took over from Jose Mourinho, before spending almost three years in the role.
Solskjaer’s best came in 2020-21 when he guided United to a second-place finish, but results began to deteriorate at the start of the following campaign before being sacked in November 2021 after a 4-1 defeat to Watford in difficulty – this was the team’s fifth defeat in seven matches.
And Solskjaer revealed he knew the writing was on the wall on that fateful day at Vicarage Road and remarkably explained how he even informed his players mid-match that he expected to be dismissed.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reflected on his dismissal as Man United manager in November 2021
Their last match ended in a dismal 4–1 defeat against Watford, which was United’s fifth defeat in seven games.
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“No one told me (that I was going to lose my job), but I knew it at half-time against Watford,” he said. Athleticism.
“We didn’t look like a Man United team; players were not running for each other. At halftime, I told the players that this would probably be the last time we would work together and that we would play with pride. We almost turned things around, until Harry Maguire was sent off.
United almost managed to come back 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 minutes of the second half.
Cristiano Ronaldo then had a goal ruled out for offside, before Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis scored goals in injury time to condemn United and Solskjaer to their fate.
And the Norwegian also explained how the aftermath of the match played out, with United renouncing his services the following day, while revealing the pain he felt at leaving a club he had so much history with.
Solskjaer explained that he told his players at half-time that he was going to be sacked.
The Norwegian also spoke about the pain he felt leaving a club he had so much history with.
He added: “I received a text message the next morning from Ed Woodward saying he needed to see me in his office in Carrington.
“It was quite difficult when you have been at the club for 18 years with all these good and bad times.
“I had a lot of support and good times with Ed. He gave me this chance and for that I will always be grateful to him.
“It was an emotional day. Very emotional. I didn’t think it would, but it was like leaving your family.