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Man Utd were in contact with DIFFERENT manager to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
MANCHESTER UNITED had already made contact with another manager before appointing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Norwegian was appointed as interim boss until the end of the season on Wednesday.
He will be joined in the dugout by Sir Alex Ferguson’s former assistant manager Mike Phelan.
The news comes off the back of Jose Mourinho’s dismissal from Old Trafford on Tuesday morning.
The Portuguese was sacked in a face-to-face meeting with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
But before appointing Solskjaer, United reportedly made contact with former player Laurent Blanc.
The board were keen to follow the demands of fans by giving a former player a chance in the hot-seat until the end of the season.
Blanc matched the criteria and was one of the main faces in the frame to replace Mourinho until the end of the season.
But the collective decision was to give former striker and fans' favourite Solskjaer a chance.
We can confirm that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the 2018/19 season.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) 19 December 2018
He will be joined by Mike Phelan as first-team coach, together with Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna. #MUFC
It’s believed that Sir Alex Ferguson was consulted throughout the whole process.
The 45-year-old was in charge of Molde, whose season does not restart until March.
They will loan the Red Devils Solskjaer until the end of the season when he is expected to retake charge of the Scandinavians.
"This is a big opportunity for Molde FK, we think it will be developing and helping to put Molde further on the football card," Oystein Neerland, the club's chief executive officer said.
Solskjaer, who played for United for 11 years, returns as a club legend and hopes to put a smile back on the fans' faces.
“Manchester United is in my heart and it’s brilliant to be coming back in this role. I’m really looking forward to working with the very talented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club,” said Solskjaer.
Woodward added: “Ole is a club legend with huge experience, both on the pitch and in coaching roles.
"His history at Manchester United means he lives and breathes the culture here and everyone at the club is delighted to have him and Mike Phelan back.
"We are confident they will unite the players and the fans as we head into the second half of the season.”