Solskjaer: My time at Manchester United wasn't bad — now I understand why Mourinho called second place his greatest achievement

May 24 — In a recent interview with The Athletic, current Besiktas head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shared his reflections on his time at Manchester United and the club’s ongoing challenges.

When asked if he still watches other teams’ games, Solskjaer admitted, “I watch less and less these days. Turkey is three hours ahead of England, so I miss most late-night matches. Plus, we usually play on weekends, so I mainly watch highlights.”

Solskjaer said he still keeps in touch with former United assistants Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna: “I’m still in touch with the coaching staff and some players. Everyone knows football is full of ups and downs. Carrick and McKenna have both done brilliantly managing their own teams. McKenna has led Ipswich to some great performances, and Carrick has experienced the typical highs and lows in the Championship with Middlesbrough. They’re top coaches and great people.”

On whether he still follows United, Solskjaer said, “I watch them when I can. It’s nice to see Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire doing well. And Scott McTominay is playing well in Napoli too. It was hard for me to see United let him go because he always scored crucial goals and truly understood the club’s culture.”

When asked if United’s current instability makes his own tenure look better, Solskjaer said, “I don’t deny the final six weeks at United were really tough, but we were still top of our Champions League group then. The real damage came from those two games against City and Watford. Still, in the Premier League’s fierce competition, finishing second and third in two full seasons isn’t bad at all. We even reached a European final. I understand now why Mourinho said his second-place finish at United was his greatest achievement. It really isn’t easy.”

Asked about whether he talks with Mourinho now that they’re both in Turkey, Solskjaer said, “I’ve always respected Mourinho and what he’s done for football. We didn’t really chat much because when I was at United and he was at Spurs, it was during the pandemic.”

On United’s pattern of quickly replacing managers, Solskjaer reflected, “That’s probably something for the club leadership to answer. But the challenge is that every coach inherits the players left behind by their predecessor. Overall, I have wonderful memories of United, apart from those final six weeks. It’s a special place because of the people. It felt like home — like I’d never left. And Besiktas has a similar family feeling, with staff who’ve been here 10, 20, even 30 years, and deep respect for each other.”