Manchester United opted to fire Ruben Amorim and appoint Darren Fletcher as their interim head coach earlier on Monday, Jan. 5. And now, a former Red Devils manager has allegedly shown interest in securing a return to the Old Trafford outfit.
Ex-Manchester United Manager Open to Homecoming
According to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, former Manchester United striker and boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping to be named as the Red Devils’ caretaker manager until the end of the ongoing campaign. The 52-year-old previously coached United in 168 matches across all competitions between December 2018 and November 2021, guiding them to 92 wins.
Meanwhile, Manchester United’s leadership have been informed about Solskjaer being open to a homecoming and are expected to take their time to assess all potential candidates for a short-term role. They are set to appoint a permanent manager in the summer of 2026.
Solskjaer, who scored 126 goals in 366 overall matches for Manchester United, was initially appointed as the Red Devils’ caretaker manager in December 2018. After being hired on a permanent basis in March 2019, he helped his club finish sixth in the 2018-19 league table.
The Norwegian continued to build on his early success and guided Manchester United to an acceptable third-place finish in the 2019-20 campaign. His high point as a Red Devils boss came the following season when he facilitated a runners-up finish behind Manchester City.
However, Solskjaer was fired from his previous job in the middle of the 2021-22 term after Manchester United failed to put up a Premier League title challenge in the first few months.
Manchester United Legend Highlights Amorim’s ‘Biggest Mistake’
During a chat on his YouTube channel, Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand insisted that Amorim struggled as a Red Devils head coach for 14 months due to his lack of adaptability.
“I think his biggest mistake was he didn’t adapt enough. I think that you have to adapt and we’ve seen, I’ve always said this, Pep Guardiola came into this league as the best manager in the world, right? He had to adapt… he didn’t win the league in the first season,” the six-time Premier League winner commented.
READ MORE:Â Manchester United Fans Name Their Ruben Amorim Replacement
“(Guardiola) mentioned second balls, he didn’t know anything about second balls. He saw it, adapted, and worked accordingly. And, he adapts every other year. Inverted wingbacks, fullbacks, he never had that before. (His) centre-backs can play right and left-back. This is all adapting to the league. So, that is my biggest thing with Amorim,” Ferdinand added.
Amorim, 40, has left Manchester United in sixth place in the 2025-26 Premier League table with 31 points from 20 games. He won just 15 of his 47 Premier League outings in charge.
