Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has disclosed that his final meeting as Manchester United manager, at which he was formally informed of his sacking, lasted only around five minutes. The Norwegian was dismissed in November 2021 following a run of poor results, culminating in a 4-1 defeat at Watford.
Speaking on the Stick to Football Podcast, Solskjaer revealed he sensed his fate at half-time of that match, when United trailed 2-0. He told his players that anyone who did not want to play could say so, and made changes, with some of the squad in tears. Despite expecting the news, he heard nothing until the following morning, when he received a text asking him to meet Ed Woodward, the club's then executive vice-chairman.
The meeting lasted no more than five minutes, after which Solskjaer remained at the training ground to speak with players and conduct an exit interview. He explained that he wanted to handle his departure properly, rather than air grievances later, saying: "I've always seen managers leave it... like two months later they slag someone off... that's not me. I'm like 'No, I want to do it now, tell everyone I'm proud and privileged and move on.'"
Since leaving United, Solskjaer has kept a low profile, but has hinted at a return to management. At an event in New Delhi last month, he said: "I've got at least one club job in me. It has to be an interesting one, somewhere, an adventure, somewhere I can be myself... I want to feel that pressure again."
