Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has left his position at Manchester United
to become manager of Norwegian side Molde.
Solskjaer, 37, left Molde for Old Trafford in 1996 and,
following his retirement in 2007, worked for United coaching the
club's strikers.
He was appointed United's reserve-team manager in 2008, bringing
through the likes of Federico Macheda, Rafael and
Fabio, and he won last season's Premier Reserve League as well as
the Lancashire and Manchester Senior Cups in 2009.
"Ole has accepted the position at Molde and he goes with our
best wishes," Sir Alex Ferguson said on
Tuesday. "Ole has had a good period with our reserve team, which
has given him a foundation to start somewhere else.
"He feels it is time he went back to Norway, which also helps
his family situation. He has been a fantastic servant to us and I
am sure he will do well.
"He has worked with some really good young players in our
reserve team and has contributed to their development.
"Once he gets experience of managing a club in its own right,
who knows where it will take him? Molde is a very progressive club
in Norwegian football, so this is a good start for him."
Gary Neville has been touted as
a possible successor as reserve-team manager, but Ferguson denied
any decision had been made.
"I have no idea who takes over the reserves," he said. "We will
just leave it at the moment."
Solskjaer replaces former Manchester City striker Uwe Rosler as
Molde boss and will begin the role in January.
At a press conference on Tuesday, he said: "Molde FK has
historically had a big focus on youth and the young players have
shaped both Molde FK and Norwegian football. The focus will remain
on youth.
"This is a dream job. I have discussed my future career with Sir
Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and his advice was clear: You
should choose to work at a club where you like the owners,
directors and other people there. The choice was therefore easy,
and my family wants the same thing."
Molde chairman Erik Berg said: "Ole Gunnar could afford to pick
and choose from an array of exciting jobs, but he has chosen to
become manager of Molde FK.
"Uwe Rosler and (assistant) Gunnar Halle have shown during the
autumn that there is a lot right with this team. Uwe took the job
during a critical time, and he deserves a big thank you. He brought
out the energy in the team and the club, and he made Solskjaer's
decision easier."
Solskjaer lies 16th on United's all-time leading scorers list
with 126 goals in 366 games, and became an Old Trafford hero during
his 11-year playing career at the club.
He wrote his name into United folklore as the ultimate
'super-sub' when he came off the bench to score the winning goal in
the 1999 Champions League final triumph over Bayern Munich.
