United now know they made a huge mistake in sacking manager, claims former international teammate

Manchester United legend and former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has received support from fellow Norwegian John Arne Riise ahead of a possible return to Old Trafford. The Red Devils are looking for a caretaker manager after parting ways with Ruben Amorim this week. Darren Fletcher was in charge for the 2-2 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor on Wednesday. United are expected to appoint a permanent manager at the end of this season, with several candidates already named as options. The English giants are now looking for someone to help the club see out the rest of the season, and a recent report relayed by The Peoples Person states that Solskjaer has been identified as the ideal man for the role. Solskjaer’s mixed time at Old Trafford Solskjaer spent close to three years as United’s manager from December 2018 to November 2021, including the first few months as caretaker manager. In his first full season, the Red Devils finished third in the Premier League, registering 18 wins and eight losses. The Norwegian’s team improved in the following campaign, finishing second behind Manchester City, registering 21 wins and just six defeats. Only Pep Guardiola’s team (83) scored more goals than United (73) that season. The Red Devils were expected to hit a higher gear in Solskjaer’s third full campaign, especially following the acquisitions of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan and the Norwegian lost his job after a rocky first few months. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Managerial Statistics TeamFromToGames PlayedGames WonGames DrawnGames LostWin % Molde9 November 20102 January 201412669273054.76 Cardiff City2 January 201418 September 201430951630.00 Molde21 October 201519 December 201811866203255.93 Manchester United19 December 201821 November 202116891374054.17 Beşiktaş18 January 202528 August 202529155951.72 Total——4712509412753.08 Source: Wikipedia. However, Riise believes that his countryman deserves more recognition for his managerial stint at the Theatre of Dreams. Riise praises Solskjaer Speaking to Nettavisen, as cited by Sport Witness, the former Liverpool man pointed out that people are beginning to see that Solskjaer did a commendable job at Old Trafford. “Ole enjoys respect and I think people now see in retrospect what a job he actually did last time and what he had to contend with.” “There was a lot behind the scenes that people didn’t know and understand before he was fired. But they now see that what Ole did was very good.” Final Thoughts Solskjaer registered 14 wins and three defeats in his 19-game reign as United’s caretaker manager in the 2018/19 season, managing a 74% win ratio. His team scored 40 goals and conceded 17 in that period, which also included the historic win over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the Champions League. The Baby-Faced Assassin, as such, could be a superb choice for the caretaker role, but INEOS will have to carefully consider the permanent appointment at the end of this season. At one point in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure as Manchester United manager, his side held the record for the most Premier League away games unbeaten (28). He was at the wheel! 🚗 pic.twitter.com/tXeQHNxyks — ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 6, 2026 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 Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.