Ole Gunnar Solkksjaer recently did an interview on The Overlap where he discussed various matters during his time as Manchester United manager. There are eight points that stood out. I will state these points and analyse them.
Solksjaer claims that United had the opportunity to sign Erling Haaland - twice. A year prior to his appointment, he called the club to urge them to sign the player but they refused. It's important to note to readers that both he and Haaland were at the same club - Molde (a club in Norway). Molde sold Haaland to RB Salzburg (a club in Austria). When he became the caretaker manager, he once again urged the board to sign him. That didn't happen. He had a release clause of 20 million Euros - a massive bargain nowadays. They ignored him until he started scoring goals for Salzburg.
This isn't surprising to me. The board seem to block their ears and only listen among their "equals." This is disgusting behaviour. If someone from the lower downs suggests something that can help, you should take a shot at it and not ignore it. This is especially the case if something that was brought up earlier blows up in their face.
Next, is the Cristiano Ronaldo saga. It is claimed that he killed the style of play. Out of the attacking players available at that time, it was only Edison Cavani who struggled with the tweaks. He had only just started to understand the way they played. Players like Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood could adjust. The same goes for Anthony Martial. As we (those who watch football) are aware, a benched Ronaldo is an unhappy one.
Once again, I'm not surprised. A team shouldn't adjust or change the way they play just to suit a single player - no matter how famous or well-known he/she is. No one should get special treatment. I would describe Ronaldo as selfish, self-centred and a primadonna. This is especially the case after the infamous Piers Morgan interview.
The next one, I think, is well-known. This would concern Jude Bellingham. When he was still at Birmingham City, United rolled out the red carpet for him. Sir Alex Ferguson, Eric Cantona and Bryan Robson were all there. He was 17 back then. For readers who don't know: he chose Borussia Dortmund and then signed for Real Madrid last year.
I don't really have any hard feelings towards Bellingham. He had the choice of which club would suit him best and chose to go to Germany. This was a logical move as the club of choice allows youngsters to unleash their potential. A popular example would be Erling Haaland (He moved from RB Salzburg to Dortmund and then to Man City).
Next up, is the captaincy. Solksjaer has claimed that no star player wanted to be captain for certain games. He said, "It's petty and shows a lack of ambition." I'm flabbergasted by these remarks. No matter what situation a club may be in, a player/s should be honoured to be named as a captain. It's a disgrace. It shows that the people approached were/are weak.
Other players were scared of doing pre-match interviews. Only Harry Maguire; Bruno Fernandes; Luke Shaw and David De Gea did them. Others said no. A reasoning could be their mental health. If this is the case, then I can't say anything. As I've already mentioned in a previous post, I suffer from mental health issues. I would probably refuse to do them as well.
Apparently, according to Solksjaer, Declan Rice was the one that got away. He was often talked about as a transfer target and how they should've signed him. Back when Rice was playing for West Ham, it was well known that both Chelsea and Man Utd wanted to sign him. It was no secret. It's a shame and a petty that United didn't sign. He signed for Arsenal.
The transfer dealings is next. It is stated that multiple people had to agree to a transfer before a transfer was given the green light. Solksjaer had to go through multiple departments to get the final answer. This isn't right. The manager shouldn't have to jump through many hoops to get an an answer or a decision. This point relates to the Erling Haaland situation. The board should trust the manager and not question their decision-making. Trust the man they put in charge.
The final point is Solksjaer's last game in charge. It was against Watford at Vicarge Road. United lost 4-1. The players cried at half-time. Solksjaer was aware there and then that he would be sacked. His half-time talk was asking who wanted to play and who didn't. He made a few changes and had to go out for the second half.
I'm sorry but this is pathetic. You shouldn't cry at half-time. You shouldn't be down in the dumps. A manager should be giving a fighting talk and not pondering on the aftermath. In addition, the manager should leave his/her current situation to themselves and not involve the players. It can lead to a buzz kill if this happens.
All in all, the contents of this interview doesn't surprise me. Solksjaer should've done things other managers should and probably would've done: stand up for themeselves. He shouldn't have played favourites and instead given others a chance when one of his favourites wasn't playing well. He should've made his voice more loud and to be vocal of his discontent with anything that he felt was wrong. There's no point in putting your head in the sand and hoping for the best. That will never occur.