What Jose Mourinho told Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on his first match back at Manchester United as Tottenham boss
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed Jose Mourinho’s biggest complaint on his first return to Old Trafford after being sacked by Manchester United.
Mourinho took his Tottenham team to the Theatre of Dreams in December.
It was the first time he’d been back to the club in a competitive role since his two-and-a-half United reign had come to an end almost 12 months earlier.
Solskjaer has revealed some of details of his meeting with the man he succeeded ahead of that vital 2-1 win.
“We had a chat before the game,” said the Norwegian. “I’d not really met him before, only briefly when he was at Chelsea and they played Cardiff. We had a nice chat.
“He was complaining about the away dressing room, the one that he’d changed!
“There was a positive atmosphere between us – it was good to have him back.
“I try not to get bogged down with the pressure. You have to be thick-skinned to if you play or manage Man United, and the pressure doesn’t get to me, but anything you we do is magnified or scrutinised.”
In an interview with United We Stand, Solskjaer revealed his contract at Molde always included a release clause if United came calling.
He describes his relationship with executive vice chairman Ed Woodward as “Open and honest.”
He added: “We challenge each other. I challenge him and he challenges me.
“It’s not always rosy to be United manager. I can’t just point at the players I want like a wish list. We have discussions, we live in the real world. We get on well.”
Solskjaer hopes to complete his overhaul of the squad he inherited from Mourinho when the transfer window opens, with Jadon Sancho his top target.
But he believes he has already overseen a cultural shift at the club.
“I'd rather have a hole in the squad than an a***hole,” he said. “Personality is so important. We're a team in a team environment.
“I feel in this group we don't have one bad apple.”
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