Former Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has named the one Manchester United legend who was the “silent assassin” during his legendary playing career at Old Trafford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a fan favourite during his time at Manchester United and the Norwegian forged an immortal reputation at the Premier League club.
Signed from Norwegian side Molde in 1996 for £1.5m, the 51-year-old former United star scored an impressive 126 times in 366 appearances for the Red Devils.
Legendary former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson took a punt on the signing of Solskjaer, which paid off incredibly well for the 82-year-old iconic Scotsman.
Despite playing second fiddle to other striking options, Solskjaer remained at United after his move from Molde and seized on the opportunities he received at the club.
Solskjaer, who was dubbed the ‘Baby-faced Assassin’ in his prolific playing career, made a remarkable impact off the bench at the Red Devils during key moments.
One iconic moment included the 1999 Champions League final, where Solskjaer came off the bench and scored a famous winner against Bayern Munich.
The Norwegian former forward is inextricably linked to United’s iconic treble-winning side in 1999, with Sir Alex Ferguson holding a strong admiration for Solskjaer.
Solskjaer names Man Utd legend as ‘silent assassin’
During his time at Old Trafford, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lifted six Premier League titles, a Champions League and two FA Cups under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Manchester United legend bowed out of the Premier League club in 2007 after battling knee injuries, with Solskjaer later returning to the club as a manager.
Solskjaer became caretaker manager in 2018 after Jose Mourinho was sacked and received the role on a permanent basis in 2019 after a successful run at the club.
The former Red Devils player, who was axed as United manager from Old Trafford in 2021, has recalled his time playing at the club and the dressing room at the time.
Solskjaer insisted that fellow United legend Paul Scholes was the “silent assassin,” while Red Devils icon Ryan Giggs was the “entertainer” in the dressing room.
“We had a great dressing room. We challenged each other, we loved each other, we fought with each other in the dressing room because we needed to win,” he told FourFourTwo magazine.
“We had some fiery characters. David May was the joker, Paul Scholes was the silent assassin, sat there at the back throwing comments. Giggsy was the entertainer.
“Eric Cantona set the mood. When he came into the dressing room, everyone just sat down and looked at him. Everyone looked up to him.”
Solskjaer on signing for Man Utd
Solskjaer admitted that he did not blame Ferguson for turning to him as a “cheaper striker” option after the former manager missed out on signing Alan Shearer.
However, the United legend insisted that he did not feel “pressure” at the club and said that it felt like a “privilege” to play for the Red Devils under Ferguson.
“I felt no pressure whatsoever,” he said.
“It felt like a privilege. I was six minutes into my debut when I scored. Eric Cantona was the first one to celebrate with me, David Beckham was the second.
“I looked around at the crowd going mad and I had all the players thanking me. That was a wow moment, the start of something special.
“I played with some of the best players in the world, but then we were one of the best teams in the world.”