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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer criticises some players from time
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has criticised the behaviour of some players during his time as Manchester United manager, saying they were not as good as they thought they were.
Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021 after nearly three years in charge.
His successor Erik ten Hag has said there was “no good culture” when he arrived at Old Trafford in May 2022.
“Some weren’t as good as their own perception of themselves,” Solskjaer, 50, told The Athletic.
The former United and Norway forward added: “I won’t name names, but I was very disappointed when a couple turned down the chance to be captain.
“I was also disappointed when others said they wouldn’t play or train because they wanted to force their way out.”
Solskjaer’s United finished second in the 2020-21 season and lost the Europa League final on penalties to Villarreal.
At the start of the following season, he signed England forward Jadon Sancho and France defender Raphael Varane and re-signed former United forward and five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
But he was sacked 12 Premier League matches into the new campaign following a 4-1 loss to Watford.
“When you have a group you need everyone to pull in the same direction,” he added. “When things didn’t go right, you could see certain players and egos came out.”
‘A dream but difficult job’
Ten Hag has had to deal with numerous off-the-field issues this season, with Jadon Sancho training away from the first-team squad and Brazilian winger Antony delaying his return to Old Trafford “to address allegations” of assault made against him.
Mason Greenwood has joined Spanish top-flight side Getafe on loan following an internal club investigation after criminal charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped.
In addition, the club’s ownership has still not been resolved after the Glazer family said they were considering selling as they “explore strategic alternatives” in November 2022.
Pressure is building on Ten Hag, with United having lost three of their opening five Premier League games this season.
Asked if he has sympathy for Ten Hag, Solskjaer said: “I know what he’s going through. It’s a dream job, but it’s difficult.
“You’re dealing with humans with all their problems and backgrounds – this isn’t a computer simulation.
“But most are good professionals who want to do well. Some think about number one first, but most think of the club.”
There have been fan protests against the Glazer’s ownership but Solskjaer described them as “honest and upfront” in the conversations he has had with them.
“I had to be patient and mentally strong – and I was. And they’ve backed the manager now,” he added.
Ronaldo return ‘turned out wrong’
Solskjaer re-signed Ronaldo – to much fanfare – on 31 August 2021, 12 years after the Portuguese superstar had left for Real Madrid.
But the move back to Old Trafford turned sour when he criticised the club and said he had “no respect” for manager Ten Hag, which lead to Ronaldo’s departure to Al-Nasr, in Saudi Arabia, in December.
“It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong,” Solskjaer said of Ronaldo’s return.
“It felt so right when he [Ronaldo] signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game when Old Trafford was rocking [after Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 win].
“He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world, he was looking strong.”
Haaland, Rice, Bellingham and Kane were all targets
Solskjaer also revealed the club could not buy the players he mentioned to them.
They included Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, before he joined RB Salzburg in 2019, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, who signed for the Gunners in a £100m deal from West Ham in July and Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund this summer.
Asked which players he tried to sign, Solskjaer said: “Erling Haaland, before he made his Salzburg debut.
“Declan Rice wouldn’t have cost what he did in the summer. We discussed Moises Caicedo, but we felt we needed players ready for there and then.
“We wanted Jude Bellingham badly – he’s a Man United player – but I respect he chose Dortmund. That was probably sensible.”
Speaking about England captain Harry Kane, who moved to Bayern Munich this summer from Tottenham, he added: “I would have signed Kane every day of the week and my understanding was that he wanted to come, but the club didn’t have the budget with the financial constraints from Covid-19.
“There was no bottomless pit.”
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