5/7 losses at the end of 2021 and the fear of being fired
"No one told me about it but I felt it in the first half against Watford (a 1 4-year defeat). Man United were no longer a team at the time, with players running on the pitch at an unknown speed.
At half-time, I told the players that maybe after that match, we won't work together anymore so let's all play with the greatest pride. The team has almost reversed the situation before Harry Maguire was sent off.
The next morning, I received a message from Ed Woodward. He wanted to meet me at the office in Carrington. I have been at this team for 18 years, witnessed many ups and downs but have never felt so burdened.
I have received a lot of support and have good memories with Ed. He created a lot of conditions and I am always grateful for that. Before receiving Ed's text message, I took my wife and children to the airport after my trip to England. After that, I texted my wife and said, "Maybe you will return to Norway before me."
It was a day with many intertwined emotions. I didn't think it would happen because leaving Man United was like being away from home. At that time, I met the players to say goodbye, then the coaches and staff at Carrington. After that, I returned home alone."
The reason for the breakup video and will it disappoint the players?
"I don't want to say goodbye to the fans because they have had a lot of good feelings, they are like family members. Therefore, I feel that I was right to make a video to say goodbye to everyone.
I am not angry or disappointed with the players because simply, I was not capable enough to do the work I still wanted. Perhaps, the best time was the first 6 months with an unforgettable memory of the 3-1 victory over PSG.
After that, from working as an interim manager to being able to sign the official dispatch, I also had many other beautiful memories. It was probably a home win over Man City with Scott McTominay. I have never seen Old Trafford so moved and passionate. The fans stayed for a long time to celebrate with us after the match".
The crushing losses to Liverpool and Tottenham
"Man City and Liverpool are the strongest teams with very good players and coaches. I still know Liverpool in the 1980s were very strong but under Jurgen Klopp, they were great.
In the home match against Liverpool (October 2021), I and the players were ready and felt very good like before the match against Man City at the Etihad. Manchester United should have played defensive counter-attacks but the team did the opposite. We lost with a final score of 0-5. In the first half, the score was 0-4.
I made mistakes and that was the worst match of my time as Manchester United manager. Roberto Firmino was probably the most rewarding player during my time at Old Trafford. As for the 1-6 loss to Tottenham, playing with one less player early has caused everything to slip out of control."
The biggest difficulties in recruiting players
"The expectations for Manchester United have always been very high but now are not like when I was playing. In the past, we only had Arsenal and Chelsea as formidable opponents, now we have too many teams competing. Clubs now have strong finances. If they don't have too much money, they don't need to sell players, it's difficult to stay there.
When I was at M.U, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were talented young stars who were brought to the club. Now, Man United cannot just go to the market to buy Evan Ferguson, that's it. We can't buy players in sight."
Who are the contracts in focus?
"It was Erling Haaland before he joined RB Salzburg. We have also had eyes on Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo, who are players in good form. Brighton is good at bringing in players from abroad and turning them into talents in a year and a half. At Manchester United, you don't see that. To have such a talent, the team must train many people to leave a name.
Man United also wanted Jude Bellingham but I always respected him when he wanted to join Dortmund. People like Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Daniel James and Jadon Sancho also received great respect even though when they joined M.U, they were no longer in 100% form.
The most regrettable thing is probably Harry Kane. I can negotiate that deal every day, every week and we also know he wants to join Manchester United. However, just because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team no longer has enough budget to recruit players."
Ralf Rangnick has criticized Man United under Ole Solskjaer, is there any problem with that?
"He took up the job in November 2021, which was a lot different from 2 months ago. Rangnick has commented frankly on each player, I had to remind him cleverly about this. In the end, everything became really bad, the team was no longer united.
Some players think they need to play more. They are labelled as not being useful for building collective strength. I think it was partly my fault. I understand that very well because when I was a player, I always wanted to prove that the coach was wrong if he didn't let me on the field.
Now, the players don't think that way anymore. Representatives and family members always say that the players are very good and that their rights must be protected first. That is the disease of modern football".
