Former Manchester United coach, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has disclosed that some members of the Red Devils squad expressed their desire to leave when he was appointed as the club’s permanent manager.
Solskjaer took the reins at Old Trafford in December 2018 as an interim following Jose Mourinho’s exit.
Following his appointment, the team improved drastically, losing just once in 13 league games.
However, the Norwegian revealed that players started expressing their desire to leave and that the air came out of the balloon at the end of his first season in charge.
Despite this, Man United finished third and second respectively in Solskjaer’s two full seasons at Old Trafford.
“We went to Cardiff, my old club, in my first game and scored five. It was just about letting the players play. Play forward, run forward, create chances, score and enjoy being a Man United player.
“We won our first eight games and had a great time together,” Solskjaer told FourFourTwo.
“Then suddenly the media – I understand why, because we were playing so well – were asking, ‘Does he get the job permanently?’
“I’d never thought about doing it permanently, I was just enjoying myself and the players were, too. I got the job and something changed.
“Tiredness, since we demanded a lot. That caused injuries. Some players wanted to leave. I felt that the air came out of the balloon at the end of that first season, but in my two full seasons we finished third and second in the Premier League,” he added.
