'Players wanted to leave after I got the Man Utd job'

A former Manchester United boss has now confirmed some players wanted to leave soon after he was appointed.

Following legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, most, if not all, the tacticians who stepped into the Old Trafford helm after him failed to replicate his extensive success.

In December 2018, former club star Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was put in charge of the club on an interim basis, and would later be made permanent manager after a run of impressive results.

The Norwegian has now confirmed that, soon after he got the position full-time, some players began expressing their desire to leave United, even though he would guide the Red Devils to second- and third-place finishes in his two-year stint in charge of the team.

"We went to Cardiff, my old club, in my first game and scored five. It was just about letting the players play. Play forward, run forward, create chances, score and enjoy being a Man United player," Solskjaer told FourFourTwo.

"We won our first eight games and had a great time together.

"Then suddenly the media – I understand why, because we were playing so well – were asking, 'Does he get the job permanently?'

"I'd never thought about doing it permanently, I was just enjoying myself and the players were, too.

"I got the job and something changed.

"Tiredness, since we demanded a lot. That caused injuries.

"Some players wanted to leave.

"I felt that the air came out of the balloon at the end of that first season, but in my two full seasons we finished third and second in the Premier League."

Solskjaer has been without a job since parting ways with the Red Devils in December 2021, although he was recently linked with replacing Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich.

United, meanwhile, are