Newly appointed Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he wants to see his players “enjoying their football again” while promising them a “clean slate” under his watch.
Former United forward Solskjaer was announced as Jose Mourinho’s temporary successor on Wednesday, a day after the Portuguese was sacked at Old Trafford midway through a disappointing third season at the club.
Speaking for the first time in his new role, Solskjaer, who joined United from Norwegian side Molde, told MUTV on Thursday that he’s going to “be myself,” which includes restoring joy back on the pitch.
“I’m going to enjoy the ride. It’s six months. I’m back home,” Solskjaer said. “I’m going to be myself. The club is running a process to find the next manager so I’m going to be myself in the meantime with [assistants] Mick [Phelan], Kieran [McKenna] and Michael [Carrick]. We’ll get the players enjoying their football again.”
Sources told ESPN FC on Wednesday that “90 percent” of the players had lost all respect for Mourinho due to his critical treatment of them, both in the dressing room and in public. And that had Mourinho remained in charge, several players were prepared to seek a move away from Old Trafford next summer.
However, sources said that the mood has now changed significantly since Mourinho’s sacking, with the squad now looking forward to “enjoying their football and their life again.”
Solskjaer said he’s reached out to a number of players in the squad already.
“I’ve spoken to most of them today. It seems like a great set of lads, professional, wanting to do well and learn,” he said. “I’ve spoken to Michael and Kieran about them all. I’ll take time getting to know them.”
Solskjaer will hit the ground running at United, who will play five matches in 15 days beginning with Saturday’s Premier League clash at Cardiff, where the former Norway international spent nine months as a coach in 2014.
“The amount of games coming up is no problem because we’ve got quality players and they’ll get a chance to show that they’re Man Utd players,” he said of the packed schedule. “We’re in a results business and we want to win games. That’s my job to help the players do. We want to see them play the football they can do.
“We’ve got a great set-up. The analysts were watching Cardiff this morning. I’ve seen the teams, I watch the Premier League. It’s about us though, not the opposition. We want to see the players express themselves. Our main focus is us, the opposition comes later.
“We have to rotate. Everyone will get a chance. Everyone starts with a clean slate. You’ve got to start somewhere. I’ve seen the last few games. You pick a team now and you move on. Everyone will get their chance.”
Once the games kick off, Solskjaer, who’s also coached the United Under-23s, said expect a managerial style that resembles that of legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I’ve had 300-400 games as a first-team manager. I’m confident. I’ve won the league, I’ve won cups, I’ve been relegated. It’s about man management. It’s about managing players, staff and it’s about getting the best out of everyone,” he said.
“The boss [SAF] will always be the best at that. I get my managerial style from him. He’s been the biggest influence but then again we’re different. I’m a different personality. I like to speak to people, I like to engage with people. I want to see people express themselves. That makes me happy.”