How the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe ended up ruining Solskjaer’s chances at a dream return explained – Athletic

Manchester United have officially announced Michael Carrick as the caretaker head coach till the end of the season. Darren Fletcher blew his chance at staying till the end of the season as the Red Devils crashed out of the FA Cup. It officially became a two-horse race, between former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his assistant manager at that time. It was widely expected that the duo would be working in tandem like before, but INEOS had other plans. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacts to Carrick update After face-to-face interviews, the United brains trust opted for the legendary midfielder, and naturally, the Norwegian was disappointed. The Athletic have revealed that director of football Jason Wilcox was the one to break the news, and despite the heartbreak, he remains supportive of Carrick. Interestingly, both Wilcox and CEO Omar Berrada were in favour of the Treble winner, but not Sir Jim Ratcliffe or the Glazers as they felt appointing him would mean going back to the past instead of moving forward. “Sources close to Solskjaer believe he had the support of Wilcox and Berrada as the most senior figures within United’s sporting department, but were unsure he had as much backing from the club’s ownership — the Glazer family and Ratcliffe. How he lost the race “Solskjaer was informed by Wilcox on Monday that he hadn’t been chosen. Though naturally disappointed, sources say his preference would have been to take the job again on a permanent basis, working for the long term rather than only the few months until the summer. “He believes United require a major rebuild to close the gap to the Premier League’s elite — a point he made to the club’s executives during their conversations. “He is, however, fully supportive of Carrick. The pair have spoken regularly throughout this process, keeping each other abreast of what was happening.” It has already been relayed by The Peoples Person that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have wanted the permanent job in the summer if he guided the 20-time English league champions back into the Champions League. Carrick had no such ambitions, while the baby-faced assassin’s backroom staff and certain players’ opinion also ultimately swayed things in the ex-England international’s favour. The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Ayantan Chowdhury After failing to become a professional footballer, Ayantan switched to the next best thing: writing about the greatest football club in the world. He has extensive sports journalism experience, having worked for over 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25