Ole Gunnar Solskjaer launches stunning attack on Man Utd players and makes Cristiano Ronaldo confession
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has opened up during his stint at Man Utd
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has launched a stunning attack on Manchester United players in a bombshell interview.
The Norweigan was sacked by the club in November 2021 after a chastening 4-1 defeat to Watford at Vicarage Road.
Solskjaer was always protective of his United players during his tenure, something that sometimes saw him criticised.
But the former Red Devils hitman has now told The Athletic that some 'egos' came out and that players didn't want to pull together.
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Man Utd but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits he got that deal wrong
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He said: "When I looked at the fixtures it was going to be a deciding period: Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham away, and Leicester away.
"Then Chelsea and Arsenal, plus Champions League games.
"Things went against us. It started with Aston Villa at home [a 1-0 defeat] and a late penalty miss [by Bruno Fernandes].
"When you have a group you need everyone to pull in the same direction.
"When things didn't go right, you could see certain players and egos came out.
"We beat Tottenham convincingly 3-0 away, but then we lost two games."
Solskjaer was replaced by Ralf Rangnick at United, with the German brought in on an interim basis.
Revealing chats with his temporary successor, the Norwegian continued to slam his old players by saying agents and family members got into their heads.
Solskjaer added: "The club he [Rangnick] found in November 2021 was different from September 2021.
"I told him when I gave my opinion on every player.
"Things had soured, the collective had been lost and that's not Man United, where teams are built on the collective.
"Some players felt they should've played more and weren't constructive to the environment.
"That's a huge win for me. When I didn't start games, I wanted to prove to the manager he'd made the wrong decision.
"Now, a lot of players aren't like that. Agents and family members get into their heads and tell them they're better than they are because they have a vested interest.
"It's a disease of modern football."
In the summer of 2021, United re-signed Cristiano Ronaldo.
It was a stunning move, with the Portugal international previously looking set to join Manchester City.
But Solskjaer has now confessed the signing was the 'wrong' one, with the veteran lasting 18 months before departing for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr.
"It was a decision that was very difficult to turn down and I felt we had to take it, but it turned out wrong," he said.
"It felt so right when he signed and the fans felt that at that Newcastle game, when Old Trafford was rocking [Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-1 win].
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Man Utd legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says some players didn't want to be captain at the club
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"He was still one of the best goalscorers in the world, he was looking strong."
And Solskjaer also revealed some United players turned down the captaincy during his spell in charge as well.
"Some weren't as good as their own perception of themselves," said the 50-year-old.
"I won't name names, but I was disappointed when a couple turned down the chance to be captain.
"I was also disappointed when others said they wouldn't play or train because they wanted to force their way out."
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