Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is well on course to take over from Darren Fletcher as the manager of Manchester United, Fabrizio Romano has claimed. Club legend Solskjaer boasts the best win rate among all managers to have landed the job at Old Trafford in the post-Alex Ferguson era.
Fletcher will be in charge of Wednesday's clash with Burnley as well as the FA Cup game with Brighton on Sunday. In the days that follow, Solskjaer is expected to begin his second stint with the club, reports have claimed. Michael Carrick and Ruud van Nistelrooy, both former players, are also in the mix, but the Norwegian Solskjaer is a clear frontrunner as things stand, they added.
"Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has shown interest in taking the Manchester United job as caretaker manager, regardless of contract length. Man United are taking their time to assess candidates for the job. Darren Fletcher will be interim manager this week," Fabrizio Romano had said on X. In a later update, the football transfer expert added, "Solskjaer and Manchester United advance in positive talks over caretaker manager role. As revealed yesterday, Ole wants the job and he’s a serious candidate with talks well underway. No issues on contract length. Ole is ready to say YES."
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Solskjaer is liked by the dressing room and the squad is lobbying for his return, the BBC said in a report. While this should be enough to land him the job for now, the board is still tracking candidates to be appointed on a full-term basis, the report added. During his tenure from 19 December 2018 to 21 November 2021, Solskjaer managed to secure a runner-up finish for United in the Premier League. While he was in charge, the Red Devils played 168 games, winning 91, losing 40, and drawing 37. The 52-year-old Solskjaer last managed Beşiktaş in Turkey and has remained jobless since being sacked in August.
Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino and Oliver Glasner are the names being discussed as a long-term solution by the Manchester United board, TeamTalk said in a report which also mentioned Enzo Maresca and Roberto De Zerbi.
