Man Utd get brutal Ole Gunnar Solskjaer verdict as a consensus forms - 'It's embarrassing' - The Mirror

Manchester United are eyeing up an interim appointment to take them through until the end of the season with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the frontrunner - but the idea has not been well received

12:10, 08 Jan 2026

A Manchester United return for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not proving universally popular, with even Gary Neville claiming the club are going round in circles by eyeing up a former player.

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The Norwegian is poised to return in some capacity more than four years after he was axed as manager. Michael Carrick, another ex-player who was one of Solskjaer's assistants, is also being tipped for a return.

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Solskjaer is one of only two men to deliver second-place finishes for United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, but his tenure was not without its criticism and ended in horrific fashion following a poor losing run.

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The Manchester outfit sacked Ruben Amorim on Monday morning and their succession plan involved putting Darren Fletcher in caretaker charge before hiring an interim until the end of the season. As things stand that looks set to be Solskjaer, Carrick or the two men working in tandem.

Neville, though, feels like the club have been down this path before and need to break the cycle, as he warned his former team-mates that the heat will come if they endure poor results from now until the end of the season.

READ MORE: Italian media reach telling verdict as Scott McTominay changes tune at NapoliREAD MORE: Man Utd to hold fresh Michael Carrick talks as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer twist emerges

He said: "You almost go through cycles whereby, and United have done this for 12 years now. They put Ryan [Giggs] in charge ten years ago, then Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] took charge and you go back to the old boys. Then you go for a new one, then you go for one more - it's almost like a cycle and a movie that we've all seen before and Groundhog Day.

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Name checking Solskjaer and Carrick he then added: "They get the club. But still they're going to come under a lot of pressure in the next four or five months if results don't go their way. So look, they have to be ready for that... Whoever's going to get it, out of those three that are being mentioned, I wish them all the best because it's a tough role."

Danny Murphy has taken a far harder line, claiming it is "crazy" that United would consider hiring someone who they got rid of in light of five losses in seven - which included a 5-0 reverse to Liverpool at Old Trafford.

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The Match of the Day pundit and ex-Liverpool midfielder said: "Well the Solskjaer one coming back is crazy. I mean Man United paid him to leave because he ultimately failed and now they're going to pay him to come back? I mean it seems ridiculous when you've got options like Michael Carrick, Fletch obviously is a decent coach and then you've got someone like [Roy] Keane, who the fans would love to come back. Ok, some people might think that might be chaotic but he's a leader."

Former Premier League striker Gabby Agbonlahor also cited how relieved many in Manchester were when Solskjaer got the chop in 2021. He told TalkSport: β€œIt's embarrassing. When I saw the news that Solskjaer might be coming back… it's a laughing stock of a football club. The Manchester United fans were relieved when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got sacked. We've got receipts."

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