Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s pro footballer wife, kids and family future after sacking
Former Manchester United bossOle Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed he will be spending more time with his family – having lived apart through the pandemic
One silver lining from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking from Manchester United is that he can finally be reunited with his family.
After a humiliating 4-1 defeat to struggling minnows Watford, Solskjaer was relieved of his duties and will now be heading back to his native Norway to be with his loved ones.
When asked what his immediate plans are in the wake of his axing during an almost unprecedented interview with the club’s official website, the former Red Devils boss explained he would be making up for lost time.
“I’ll spend some time with my family,” he said on Sunday. “That’s been probably the most difficult part, through the pandemic.
“With Norway being open and here being closed, my family moved back to Norway. And the young one, he loves it back there, so we’ve lived apart. So, I’ll spend some time with them.”
Solskjaer certainly isn’t the only talented footballer in his family – as his wife and kids have also impressed on the pitch.
Image:
Press Association)
Press Association)
Image:
Getty Images)
Getty Images)
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Solskjaer first met his wife, Silje, while they were both training in their native Norway and she also went on to become a professional footballer.
He once explained: “Silje was a very good football player. We often trained together when we were younger. Back in Clausenengen, we had a kids’ football training group in the morning that I really was too old to go.”
The couple started dating in 1992, then were briefly apart during his military service but got back together and were married in Florida in 2004.
After retiring from professional football in 2000, Silje had their first child, son Noah, in June that year.
Three years later they welcomed daughter Karna, while youngest son Elijah was born in 2008.
Noah began his football career in the Clausenengen youth teams, just like his parents, then made his debut for Kristiansund in a friendly in July 2019 against his dad’s Manchester United team.
Solskjaer’s eldest son signed his first professional contract with Kristiansund in September last year, but after just three appearances has gone on loan to Sogndal, who are in the second tier of the Norwegian football pyramid.
Image:
Reuters)
Reuters)
Meanwhile, 18-year-old daughter Karna plays for the Manchester United Women’s academy.
Karna had played for local sides in Norway while Solskjaer was in charge of Molde, but moved to England with the rest of the family in the summer of 2019.
Last month, Karna scored four goals for the U21 side as they thrashed Bristol City 7-1 – and had been tipped for a call up to the first team in the near future.
However, it remains to be seen whether she will stay at the club following her dad’s sacking, as it seems the family will move back to Norway.
Solskjaer said he will make up for lost time with his family over recent months, but expects to get the itch to return to the game he loves at some stage.
Explaining how he’d spend time with those closest to him, he added: “Then, I’ll watch the team of course and hopefully, the next manager comes in and I want to support him. I want him to be successful, hopefully I’ve laid the foundations for that to happen because I know I’m good at what I’m doing.
“I’m a hundred per cent sure to create a football environment, that’s where I’m good at and at some point, I’ll probably be back [working in football].”
Image:
Getty Images)
Getty Images)
In his farewell interview, Solskjaer said that he was “honoured” and “privileged” to have managed the club he loves so dearly.
“You know what this club means to me and what I wanted to achieve here,” he explained.
“For the club, for the fans, for the players, for the staff. I wanted us to take the next step to challenge for the league, to win trophies and I only think it’s right that it comes from the horse’s mouth.
“This club means everything to me and together we’re a good match, but unfortunately I couldn’t get the results we needed and it’s time for me to step aside.”
With no immediate replacement for Solskjaer coming in, United chiefs have put his assistant Michael Carrick in charge for Tuesday night’s Champions League visit to Villarreal.
United are effectively on the hunt for two new managers after confirming the plan to hire an interim boss before making a decision on a full-time manager at the end of the season.
Mauricio Pochettino, Erik ten Hag and Brendan Rodgers have been rumoured as the leading candidates for the Old Trafford hot seat.
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