Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's return to Britain?! Man Utd legend approached by Rangers days after former assistant Michael Carrick linked with job

Rangers officials are said to have stepped up their efforts in a bid to bring in a new manager before the international break concludes and the action resumes in club football. The club had a nightmare start to their 2025-26 campaign as they managed to win just one game in their first seven outings under Martin. Ultimately, a 1-1 draw with Falkirk earlier this month proved to be the last straw for the club authorities as they sacked Martin, only months after his appointment as the head coach at Ibrox. Martin faced massive backlash from the fans during his brief stint in Glasgow as they even went public with their protest. During a Scottish League Cup quarter-final clash, fans visited Ibrox with banners, which read: "Russell out - worst manager in history." They also hurled balls onto the pitch, which led to a delay in the start of the game.

Following Martin's sacking, the Rangers officials have been in search of a new head coach and according to The Sun, the club have approached ex-Manchester United boss Solskjaer and former Mainz manager Bo Svensson. Solskjaer, who has been without a job since August after being sacked by Besiktas, could return to Britain after holding talks with the Gers chiefs. 

Rangers officials have held talks with a number of managerial candidates in the past few days as they look to appoint a new manager at Ibrox before their season resumes. The Daily Mail reported last week that Solskjaer's former assistant coach at Old Trafford, Carrick, is also in the frame for the Rangers job. The 44-year-old was sacked from his first permanent managerial job at Middlesbrough in June this year. Carrick was appointed as Boro's head coach in 2022 and he immediately took the team up the table and secured a play-off place, only to see his team beaten in the semi-finals by a Coventry City team featuring Viktor Gyokeres. Middlesbrough narrowly missed out on a top six in the following two campaigns, leading to Carrick's dismissal ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

The report added that the Scottish side have also considered the names of Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna and former Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl, but Carrick is the one who stood out from their shortlist. 

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, at one point, was a firm favourite to return to Scotland and join Rangers for a second stint as their head coach. Gerrard, who has been without a job since parting ways with Al-Ettifaq in January, had previously managed the club and guided them to their last Scottish Premiership title in 2021. The former England star also had the backing of Gers legend Ally McCoist, who claimed in April that the England icon would be a perfect fit for the club. He had said: "It’s absolutely vital that his next job is the right one. It didn’t quite work out at Villa or in Saudi Arabia. It’s similar to Frank Lampard - his move to Coventry has been crucial in getting his managerial career back on track. Steven’s in that same position. His next step needs to be spot on."

After being in advanced talks with Rangers, the 45-year-old eventually pulled out of the race as he felt that it was not the right time for him to return to management. Both parties, however, kept the door open for future negotiations.

While speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast this week, another United legend Paul Scholes had hinted that Solskjaer had held talks to take up the Rangers job. The former Red Devils midfield star said: "I was actually with a lad the other night who told me he was actually going to meet Rangers." Scholes, though, refused to comment when asked about the name of the candidate.