Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Making the Right Moves in the Managerial Market

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer occupies a special place in the hearts of the Manchester United faithful. It is not just the glorious moment in May 1999 when Clive Tyldesley screamed, "And Solskjaer has won it!" It is not the other countless important goals he scored in his 11 years at the club. It is not his record of 126 goals from 366 appearances, many of which were as substitutes.

Solskjaer represents something more to the club than these numbers and events. His story is one of a genuinely nice guy who made it big through sheer hard work and determination.

Solskjaer's Manchester United fairy tale began in 1996 when he signed from Molde for what now seems to be a bargain price of £1.5 million. During the 14 years he was at United, he joined the ranks of Manchester United legends, so much so that one can still occasionally hear the Solskjaer chant around Old Trafford on a matchday.

Career with the United Reserves

When injury curtailed his Manchester United career in 2007, Solskjaer turned to coaching. He coached the first-team strikers for part of the 2007-08 season and later took charge of the Reserves in the summer of 2008, later guiding them to the Premier Reserve League trophy.

During his time with the reserves, Solskjaer oversaw the development of youth prospects such as Tom Cleverley, Danny Welbeck and Will Keane. 

Molde FK

In 2010, Solskjaer's old club, Molde, came calling with an offer for him to become their manager. Solskjaer accepted and took to his responsibilities like fish to water. In his first season as manager (which also happened to be the centennial year of the club's existence), Solskjaer led Molde to the league title for the first time in their history.

He has continued to build upon the success of his first season in charge, as Molde once again sit pretty with a two-point cushion at the top of the League standings with five more games to go.

It is indeed admirable that Solskjaer answered the call from his former club and took over the challenge of developing a team with limited means and appeal into one that could win the title and enter the Champions League.

The approach shows that Solskjaer is in the managerial profession for long-term success in much the same way his mentor and former manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has done.

A Host of English Suitors

Solskjaer's success as a reserve-team coach and then as a manager have not gone unnoticed, especially in England. He was considered for the managerial post at Aston Villa but he eventually decided to stay back in Norway.

More recent speculation has linked him to the vacancies at Bolton and Blackburn. However, Solskjaer has stated that his immediate focus is on Molde and winning them the league as it draws to a close over the next month. 

Destination Old Trafford?

Solskjaer's approach in responding to these offers show his sensibilities as a manager. Instead of promoting himself by fuelling the speculation further, he chose to unambiguously declare his commitment to Molde, while they fight for a second consecutive league title.

Solskjaer's professionalism always impressed during his days as a player and it is evident that he still possesses this trait as a manager.

At the end of the day, it is a well-known fact that Manchester United fans would love to see Solskjaer return to Old Trafford as the manager one day. Some have even suggested that he might be the man to take over from Ferguson once the Scot retires.

Whatever the eventual outcome, it is clear that the Norwegian legend is working his way up the managerial ladder, all the while gathering skills that could make him a success in the most challenging managerial jobs. To that effect, all of Solskjaer's moves in the managerial market have been just right.