Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opens up about player issues at Manchester United, why Cristiano Ronaldo signing 'turned out wrong'

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said some players “weren’t as good as their own perception of themselves” during his time at Manchester United and “weren’t constructive to the environment”.

Former United forward Solskjaer took over at Old Trafford on a caretaker basis in December 2018.

After a strong start, he was given a three-year deal and led United to the Europa League final, as well as second and third-place finishes in the Premier League, before being sacked in November 2021.

He said that “things had soured” towards the end of his time in charge, and he was not impressed with some of the players' attitudes.

“Some weren’t as good as their own perception of themselves,” he told the Athletic. “I won’t name names, but I was very disappointed when a couple turned down the chance to be captain.

“I was also disappointed when others said they wouldn’t play or train because they wanted to force their way out.

“Some players felt they should have played more and weren’t constructive to the environment. That’s a huge sin for me. When I didn’t start games I wanted to prove to the manager he’d made the wrong decision.

“Now, a lot of players aren’t like that. Agents and family members get into their heads and tell them they are better than they are because they have a vested interest. It’s a disease of modern football.”

The most high-profile signing during Solskjaer’s time as manager was Cristiano Ronaldo, who returned to the club in the summer of 2021.

Like with Solskjaer’s time in charge, Ronaldo’s second spell at Old Trafford started out positively before turning sour and leading to him moving to Saudi Arabia.

“It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong,” said Solskjaer about Ronaldo.

“It felt so right when he signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game, when Old Trafford was rocking [after Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 win].

“He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world, he was looking strong.

“When I looked at the fixtures, it was going to be a deciding period: Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham, and Leicester away. Then Chelsea and Arsenal, plus Champions League games. Things went against us. It started with Aston Villa at home [a 1-0 defeat] and a late penalty miss.

“When you have a group you need everyone to pull in the same direction. When things didn’t go right, you could see certain players and egos came out. We beat Tottenham convincingly 3-0 away, but then we lost two games.”

Solskjaer also said that United “couldn’t buy the players” that he “mentioned to the club”.

Asked who those players were, he said: “Erling Haaland, before he made his Salzburg debut. Declan Rice, who would not have cost what he did in the summer.

“We discussed Moises Caicedo, but we felt we needed players ready for there and then. Brighton are very good at letting players come from abroad and find their feet for a year and a half. At United, you don’t have that luxury and that has cost the club loads of players.

“We wanted Jude Bellingham badly — he’s a Man Utd player, but I respect he chose Dortmund. That was probably sensible. But it’s why I respect Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Dan James and Jadon. Young players prepared to come into a team that wasn’t 100 per cent there like it was when I arrived.

“I would have signed [Harry] Kane every day of the week and my understanding was that he wanted to come. But the club didn’t have the budget with the financial constraints from Covid-19, there was no bottomless pit.”

United are back in the UEFA Champions League this season after missing out in 2022/23.

They start against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, live on TNT Sports, having lost three of five matches in the Premier League.

Solskjaer says it’s a “difficult” job for manager Erik ten Hag.

“I know what he’s going through. It’s a dream job, but it’s difficult. You’re dealing with humans with all their problems and backgrounds — this isn’t a computer simulation. But most are good professionals who want to do well.

“Some think about No. 1 first, most think of the club.”

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