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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has stated that everything changed once he was handed the permanent position at Manchester United.
The former Red Devils player and club legend took up the managerial post temporarily after Jose Mourinho was given the boot by the club in 2018.
He enjoyed some brilliant success in his initial stages, even setting a club record of eight consecutive away victories in all competitions after beating Crystal Palace in February 2019.
In March, after winning 14 of his 19 matches in charge, Solskjaer signed a three-year contract to take over as the manager on a permanent basis.
But this is where, he feels, everything started to fall apart. Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, Solskjaer said that was the turning point for him.
“I arrived and was asked to go straight to the staff Christmas party at Lancashire Cricket Club,” he remembers. “I walked in halfway through the night. The place was packed. I was introduced. Everyone – and United have 1,000 staff – was singing. Smiling. And we’d not even played a game.
“We went to Cardiff, my old club, in my first game and scored five. It was just about letting the players play. Play forward, run forward, create chances, score and enjoy being a Man United player. We won our first eight games and had a great time together.
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“Then suddenly the media – I understand why, because we were playing so well – were asking, ‘Does he get the job permanently?’. I’d never thought about doing it permanently, I was just enjoying myself and the players were, too. I got the job and something changed.
“Tiredness, since we demanded a lot. That caused injuries. Some players wanted to leave. I felt that the air came out of the balloon at the end of that first season, but in my two full seasons we finished third and second in the Premier League.”
There were some fine moments aside from Paris. “Scott McTominay’s goal in the 96th minute against City in the last league game before lockdown,” he says. “Scott’s a great player and lad. He always gives 100 per cent for the club and represents United in the best possible way. It was wonderful for everyone.
“There was the 9-0 against Southampton. We played some nice attacking football. At our best, we’d go to places like Brighton, Spurs and Everton under Carlo Ancelotti, and we’d control the game. Or Leeds against Marcelo Bielsa’s side: we won 6-2 and 5-1 at home. Beating City away wasn’t an issue. That was Man United, we had to dig in, yet run against very motivated teams. Most are against Man United.
“And I don’t think we got the recognition for the organised attacks and defending, which we did well. Other managers and coaches complimented us on our tactical approach, with and without the ball.”
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