Former Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was spotted at Molineux on Saturday as Ipswich beat Wolves 2-1, a result which ultimately spelled the end for manager Gary O’Neil
Eyebrows were raised on Saturday when ex-Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer turned up to watch Wolves less than 24 hours before manager Gary O’Neil was sacked.
Solskjaer, who hasn’t managed a club since being relieved of his duties by United in November 2021, watched from the stands at Molineux as the home side were beaten 2-1 by Ipswich Town. The result leaves Wolves 19th in the Premier League table, having lost their last four games.
O’Neil was given the backing of Wolves chairman Jeff Shi on Friday but in a sharp U-turn, the former West Ham midfielder was sacked by the relegation-threatened club on Sunday morning. It’s no surprise that Solskjaer’s presence at Molineux caused some fans to presume that he was in the mix to replace O’Neil.
However, there was another reason why the Norwegian was in the West Midlands – and it’s actually do with Ipswich.
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The reason behind Solskjaer’s trip to Wolverhampton was to catch up with Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna and assistant manager Martyn Pert, who were both part of his coaching staff at United. Before kick-off, Solskjaer and McKenna were seen sharing an embrace.
Another reason for the visit to Molineux was that, according to Andy Mitten, Solskjaer’s 16-year-old son, Elijah, supports Ipswich. Why? Well, likely because Ipswich once played a match in Solskjaer’s home town of Kristiansund during their 1970s hayday, so there are plenty of Tractor Boys fans in Norway.
This week, Solskjaer reportedly turned down the chance to manage Norwegian side Molde for the third time. The 51-year-old was also claimed to have rejected the Denmark job earlier this year, but he does have his eye on one international role which isn’t yet available.
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“I am a proud Norwegian,” he said during a Q&A the Oslo Business Forum in September when asked about managing Norway. “If the question comes up, when Stale finds out that he doesn’t want it anymore, I’m happy to enter into a conversation.”
Solskjaer later told Norwegian radio station NRK’s podcast, Bakrommet, when asked about returning to management: “It must be something exciting enough, together with the right people. But I feel so well now that there must be something that triggers me enough for me to choose to travel from Nordmore [in Norway].
“I think that a national team could suit me, but then it can’t be on the other side of the globe. I had two options, but it would have taken half a day to travel, and there is a time difference in the picture, so I opted out. Even if I could then take part in the championship.”
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