Vincent Tan made infamous Cardiff City blunder - Man Utd developments offered big shock | OneFootball

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment was a disaster for Cardiff City but it worked well at Man United

Vincent Tan made a surprise move to hire Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as manager to try and keep Cardiff City in the Premier League in 2013/14, but it was his stint in charge at Manchester United that proved the real shock.

The Bluebirds were in the top flight for the first time since 1962 courtesy of Malky Mackay, but the Norwegian coach was brought in on 2 January 2014 with their place in the division at risk.

The Welsh outfit were outside of the relegation zone when the former Man United striker was appointed, but they had earned just 18 points from their opening 20 league games, leaving them a point clear of Crystal Palace in 18th.

Solskjaer had never worked in English football before as a coach, with his only experience being his time with Molde, where he won two league titles.

It was an impressive stint in Norway, but it was also a big risk to take from Cardiff given his lack of experience at a higher level.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer didn’t work for Cardiff

Solskjaer lost his first three league games in charge, conceding eight and scoring just two in the process, granted two of those came against top opposition in Manchester City and Man United.

A first win on 1 February against Norwich City gave supporters some reason to be optimistic that he could keep the team in the top flight, even if they had fallen to 19th by then.

But the Bluebirds won just two more times from their remaining 14 fixtures, picking up three other points from draws, leaving them with a total of just 30 points by the end of the term.

Solskjaer’s side finished six points adrift of safety and bottom of the Premier League table in an ultimately disappointing return to the top flight.

It was hoped that the now 52-year-old could guide the club back to the division at the first attempt, as he stayed on as manager into their first year back in the Championship.

Yet Solskjaer lasted just seven games before being dismissed, with a 1-0 loss at home to Middlesbrough proving the final straw.

Cardiff earned eight points from a possible 21, putting them on the backfoot in their pursuit of promotion straight away.

The Norwegian ultimately went back to Norway to work with his former side Molde, and it came as a big surprise to everyone at the club when he resurfaced in Cardiff on 22 December 2018 as Man United’s interim manager.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Man United stint shocked Cardiff City

Neil Warnock had guided Cardiff back to the Premier League for 2018/19 and, as fate would have it, their home clash against Man United that season ended up being Solskjaer’s first in charge of the Red Devils after replacing Jose Mourinho.

The emphatic 5-1 victory was the first of a six game winning run, and an unbeaten spell in the league that lasted until 10 March, by which point the former striker had been appointed permanent boss.

While Man United ultimately finished an underwhelming sixth in the table that campaign, Solskjaer still enjoyed a solid reign in charge as permanent manager at Old Trafford.

The Manchester outfit finished third and then second in their next two Premier League seasons, albeit they were never in a title race in that time.

They reached the final of the Europa League in 2021, losing to Villarreal on penalties.

Man United also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and the EFL Cup under the Norwegian, who narrowly missed out on winning any silverware as manager.

Solskjaer was credited with uplifting the mood massively compared to his successor, too, and the signing of Bruno Fernandes during his tenure has left a long-lasting impact at Old Trafford as well.

It ultimately ended in disaster, with a 4-1 loss to Watford ending his time in charge in November 2021, but he lasted almost three years in the dugout at Old Trafford, which is no easy feat.

It didn’t work for Solskjaer at Cardiff, and it must have come as a real surprise to Tan to see him do so well for Man United years later.