The Norwegian is looking to enhance his reputation at Old Trafford as a coach, having previously starred for the club as a baby-faced striker
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits to having snubbed Liverpool and Bayern Munich in order to chase down legendary status at Manchester United.
Back in 1996, the Norwegian was a relatively unknown frontman plying his trade at Molde.
A prolific strike rate at club level, along with notable outings on an international stage, started to bring him onto the radar of leading clubs across Europe.
Interest from England, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands was shown in Solskjaer as he mulled over his options.
United ultimately won the race for his signature, with a man fondly known as ‘the baby-faced assassin’ becoming a treble winner and modern-day great across 11 years at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer told the Red Devils’ official website on how he ended up in Manchester: “Were Liverpool and Bayern Munich in for me? Yes, [and] Cagliari, PSV and a couple of other teams.
“But I wouldn’t change the history. There was only one choice. It was fantastic when the call came.
“The owners of Molde asked me to come to the office: ‘We’ve got this offer – do you fancy it?’ Yeah, okay.
“They were going to go on holiday the next couple of days. Martin Edwards was going to go on holiday as well, so we had to come in the next day. Their private jet was down by some fault, so they booked and rented another private jet just to fly me over.”
With his heart set on linking up with United, Solskjaer sealed a deal with Sir Alex Ferguson over a very English meal of fish and chips.
Solskjaer, who returned to the Theatre of Dreams to take on a managerial role in December 2018, added on his initial arrival: “I was nervous [before meeting Ferguson], because you’re afraid that you’re going to say something daft and he’s going to have a wrong first impression.
“I knew he’d not seen me play a game, so it was an important meeting for me.
“It was just me. We had fish and chips at Old Trafford, in the restaurant back there, and it was maybe half-an-hour or 45 minutes.
“He said: ‘Use the first six months in the reserves, then after Christmas maybe we can integrate you into the first-team squad.’
“They were just negotiating the deal inside Old Trafford, and they were giving me a tour. The tour guide just asked me [why I was here] and I said ‘I’m here to sign a contract’! He actually gave me his pen to sign the contract with! It was a proud moment for him as well, I think.”
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