Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, former Manchester United coach, has said that he has considered a coaching position in the United States in MLS.
The former United player got down for an exclusive conversation with the ‘Just Stick to Football’ podcast featuring Gary Neville.
He finally spoke up about his period away from the game after the Glazers let him go from Old Trafford. He coached the team for three years until 2021. Since then, he has been out of a job. However, the Norwegian did confess that he had considered maybe returning to coaching.
There he finally spoke up about his period away from the game after Manchester United fired him from Old Trafford. That being said, the Norwegian confessed that he had considered returning to coaching.
He was talking to a group that included Neville, Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright, Roy Keane, and Jill Scott. He also hinted that he has spoken with CEOs from other American teams during the last year to negotiate.
What did Solskjaer say about moving to MLS?
It all started when the panel was talking about how well Phil Neville, presenter Gary’s brother, had done since taking over as manager of the Portland Timbers. In his first appearance for Inter Miami after being fired by former Red Devils teammate David Beckham, Gary relayed the news that his relative is ‘enjoying’ his time in the USA again.
After Neville’s older brother asked Solskjaer whether he had thought about returning to the United States to resume teaching, Solskjaer said no. “Oh yeah, I went last October just to speak to a few clubs,” he said in an honest response. That’s before adding that he “would” be open to moving to the US in the future.
But his ex-teammate Keane reacted angrily to his revelation, and his former captain was there to deliver a usual scathing slam. The Irishman grinned mischievously and said, “Where, Disney?” he said, setting off a fit of laughing amongst those on the program.
“Brutal, that,” Neville said with a grin. He then asked the retired striker whether he would be comfortable settling in the US, to which Carragher giggled. Solskjaer responded by saying, “You don’t know before you try, do you?”
What did Solskjaer say about previous offers?
Earlier in 2023, there were rumors that Solskjaer may be joining MLS club Charlotte FC; however, Joe LaBue, the president of Charlotte FC, later put an end to such rumors.
“To be very clear, Ole visited our facility along with many other MLS facilities last week. It’s common and best practice to host people from across the globe and we’ll continue to do so. We’re proud of what we’ve built. End of story here.”
From there, the group discussed how the fired Manchester United manager adjusted to life away from Old Trafford after being let go. “I needed time out, I have properly enjoyed it – just prioritized myself, family and had a few offers.”
The Norwegian went on to explain his feelings about the supposed offers he has received, saying, “It’s like ‘no, I’m not ready.’
“It’s one of those situations where I have to be somewhere where I can be myself, not like someone dictating ‘you need to do this, you need to do this.’ Because when you’ve been at United, you manage them and learn a few things.”
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