Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed the legendary former striker that Sir Alex Ferguson “wanted” at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arrived at Old Trafford as a player in 1996 after legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson purchased him for £1.5m from Molde.
The 51-year-old made a long-lasting impact at the Premier League club, with Solskjaer becoming a key part of Ferguson’s Manchester United teams of the past.
Solskjaer showed his incredible impact as a substitute and enjoyed a prolific playing career at the club, which allowed him to establish himself as a United legend.
The Norwegian is inextricably linked to United’s treble-winning side, with Solskjaer scoring a famous winner against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final.
During his playing career at United, Solskjaer lifted six Premier League titles, a Champions League and two FA Cups before he bowed out of Old Trafford.
Solskjaer, who retired in 2007, later returned to United as caretaker manager after Jose Mourinho’s sacking before receiving the role on a permanent basis in 2019.
Solskjaer on legendary player that Ferguson wanted
Despite signing for Manchester United as a player, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had to fight for his first-team opportunities under former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson had a stacked roster of talented forward options at United in the 1990s, including Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and Eric Cantona.
However, Solskjaer pounced on the opportunities when he did play under Ferguson and was a vital part of the 82-year-old Scotsman’s success at Old Trafford.
The former United star has opened up on how he was a “cheaper striker” after Ferguson failed in his efforts to sign Premier League legend Alan Shearer.
Ferguson, who is considered one of the best managers of all time, was a big admirer of Alan Shearer and was keen to sign the ex-England star from Blackburn Rovers.
But the United legend’s efforts to pry Shearer away from Blackburn were left in vain, with Newcastle paying a world-record fee of £15m at the time to sign him in 1996.
Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine, Solskjaer said: “Sir Alex wanted Alan Shearer, and who could blame him?
“He was the best goalscorer. But many goals doesn’t guarantee trophies.
“United signed a cheaper striker – and I hope the gaffer was happy with me.”
Man Utd legend Solskjaer on Ferguson’s impact
Solskjaer hailed the influence of Ferguson during his prolific playing career, as well as admitting that he wouldn’t have become a manager had it not been for him.
“I wouldn’t have been a manager if I hadn’t met Sir Alex,” he told the UTD Podcast in 2019, as per Manchester United’s official website.
“Of course, I’ve learned everything I can about managing people and managing football clubs from him.
“Do you know what he said after we lost 5-0 to Newcastle and we lost to Southampton? He gathered us at The Cliff and he said if there’s any b******s in you, then you can take your mortgage and put all the money on yourselves winning the league because you’ll never get better odds.
“And I thought, wow. So, we won the league, but we never put the money on did we?
“I used that trick with Molde when we lost 5-0 to Haugesund away [in 2011], just to give the boys that confidence that we believe in you.
“We went on to win the league for the first time in the club’s 100-year history.”