'Go and get Ole Gunnar Solskjaer!' - Man Utd told to bring back club legend following sacking from Besiktas

Besiktas' early exit, compounded by failure in the Europa League qualifiers against Shakhtar Donetsk, meant no European football for the Black Eagles this season,  and the Norwegian paid the price. Yet, across the continent, the conversation has quickly turned from Istanbul to Old Trafford. With United reeling from a humiliating Carabao Cup defeat to League Two minnows Grimsby Town, questions are being asked about Ruben Amorim’s future, and whether Solskjaer could be parachuted back in to steady the ship.

Former Spurs midfielder turned pundit Jamie O’Hara has sparked debate by insisting that United could do far worse than reinstalling Solskjaer, even on a temporary basis.

"Solskjaer ain't the worst shout in the world. He can come in, he can be a stopgap manager, interim manager, get players back onside,"  he argued. "It might not be the long-term, but they need to sort it out. We can see that these football clubs can be a bit of a mess. I mean, Jose Mourinho has left Fenerbahce." 

However, O'Hara dismissed talk of a Mourinho return to Old Trafford. 

"No, no, you can't bring him back in," he said. "Solskjaer is a better option in terms of what they need just to settle the ship, because they're in a bad spot. They're in a terrible spot right now. And I believe that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, if you get him back in, go back to the formation that they were playing before. You get the players back onside, give them a bit of freedom. And I think they can maybe just calm everything down, because there's so much scrutiny around Manchester United right now."

If United do turn to Solskjaer once more, it wouldn’t be unprecedented. The Norwegian was drafted in back in December 2018 following Mourinho’s departure, initially on an interim deal. During his tenure, Solskjaer secured two top-three Premier League finishes, third in 2019-20 and second the following campaign, finishing only behind Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. His most painful near-miss came in the 2021 Europa League final, where United lost to Villarreal on penalties.

Statistically, Solskjaer boasts the second-best win percentage of any United manager in the post-Ferguson era, 91 wins from 168 matches, a 54.2% win rate. Only Mourinho edges him, with 58.3%, while Solskjaer ranks ahead of Louis van Gaal, David Moyes and Ryan Giggs. For all the criticism, those numbers remain respectable compared to United’s current malaise.

United’s struggles under Amorim have reached a boiling point. The Portuguese coach has managed just seven wins in 29 Premier League outings, a record that has left fans frustrated. Saturday’s clash with Burnley looms large. Another slip-up could ignite full-blown crisis mode.