Solskjaer admits he was left ‘upset’ by major INEOS decision last summer, fans will echo the sentiment | OneFootball

After returning to management for the first time since his Manchester United dismissal in 2021, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has enjoyed a stellar start to life at Besiktas.

Indeed, the Red Devils legend has claimed six wins and one draw in his opening eight matches, sustaining only one loss thus far in a narrow Europa League defeat to Twente. Prior to his arrival, they had only six wins in 19 games.

While his appointment has come too late in the term for Besiktas to compete with league leaders Galatasaray, who are yet to lose in the Super Lig in 2024/2025, he is certainly mounting a fight to secure European qualification of some form for next season. The side currently sit fourth-placed in the league, meaning they occupy the Europa Conference League qualifiers spot, and are five points adrift of Samsunspor in the Europa League place.

Solskjaer left ‘upset’ by INEOS’ decision to sell one Red

United sold Scott McTominay to Napoli in a £25m deal last August. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Solskjaer recently sat down with Andy Mitten (via The Athletic) to reflect on his Old Trafford exit, his new venture and his ongoing support for his former club, where he made history by not only winning the first-ever treble for an English side but also scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final to seal the remarkable feat in 1999.

“I maintain that finishing second and third in my two full seasons [with United] wasn’t bad given the level in the Premier League. We also reached a European final, but I see what Jose [Mourinho] means when he says that his best achievement was getting his United side to second in the league.”

When pressed on whether he still keeps up to date with how United are faring, he replied: “When I can. It’s still good to see Bruno Fernandes and Harry [Maguire] doing well. And Scotty [Scott McTominay] is doing well at Napoli. I’m upset that we let him go because he was important last season when he kept popping up with goals. His heart and his knowledge of the culture were important.”

“I hadn’t worked for three years. I got at least 40 offers, but none of them were right for me. Besiktas is a huge club with a great history, located in an incredible city,” said Solskjaer when asked why he chose the Turkish outfit.

“I had met with Besiktas twice before – once six months ago and once a year ago. This time was different; the chairman and his talk about restoring the old Besiktas – with values and respect – was impressive. He talked about never giving up and always fighting. They also wanted fast, attacking football.”

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