Two days ago, VG published a snippet of their interview with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in which he refused to rule out Manchester United making new signings before the window closes.
The Norwegian outlet have now published a detailed interview with the Red Devils boss, where they discuss various topics, including his new contract, targets for this season and his role in convincing players to join the English club.
Manchester United offered Solskjaer an extension last month and his current deal runs down in 2024, with an option to further extend it by a year.
The manager admitted the new contract is a “vote of confidence” for the work done behind the scenes at the club.
Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher stated it won’t be acceptable if United were to finish below third or fourth this season.
Regarding Carragher’s comments, Solskjaer said: “The psychic game of Jamie Carragher began early. I’m not afraid of that.
“I have had two full seasons now. I came in, then we were in sixth place, 20-30 points behind the top and very far behind the fourth place. We took some points again and were not very far from fourth place that season. It was a patch job to put it that way.
“Then we’re in the fight, aren’t we? When we are second and it is not decided until 10–12 May, we are in the fight.”
Solskjaer came close to winning his first trophy with the English club in May, but they lost the Europa League final to Villarreal on penalties.
“It could have gone either way. If I had been here and we had scored the last penalty and not them, so there had suddenly been a success. The margins in football are so small. All English people also know how close they were to winning the European Championship,” he said.
VG explain the Norwegian coach refuses to discuss the minimum targets for United this season.
“Sometimes it’s not what you can reap that appears. The trophies are of course important to everyone, but we have seen progress all the way and hope it continues so we are fighting all the way into this year as well. We have to hunt. We will hunt those who are ahead of us, and who have won trophies. That is our mission this year,” the 48-year-old stressed.
Jadon Sancho and Raphaël Varane were the two major additions at the club this summer.
Asked if the Premier League side have become a ‘more attractive team’ to sign for than it was three years ago, Solskjaer said: “You almost have to ask others about that, but we who work here feel we have taken the right path. Those of us who have been to the club know how magical it is to be here when things are going well. And I am absolutely sure that we will only get even better.”
Sancho and Varnae stressed conversations they had with Solskajer were important for them to make a decision to join United.
When quizzed ‘which buttons do you press during those calls?’, Solskjaer said: “No, it’s just me as a human being who talks to them as a human being, about my experiences as a United player and eventually coach. I am selling the club.
“There [at Molde] it was ‘you will get to Molde, we will win the series, you will develop and be allowed to go out’. Here there is another project and another mission. Here we will gather a bunch of hungry and good footballers who have a wonderful opportunity to become legends at a club.
“It’s a club that is amazing to be a part of when we win. I’m not going to sit and talk about how clever or bad I am; I’m just myself when I talk to them, and then they get to think about whether the club and the boss are what they want to work with and under.”
