Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits he was left ‘upset’ by a Manchester United transfer decision last summer.
Solskjaer spent over a decade at Old Trafford as a player – winning six Premier League titles and the Champions League – before having a spell in charge of the club.
The ex-Norway international managed Manchester United for three years, his reign ending in November 2021 following a difficult spell.
After over three years away, Solskjaer returned to football management at the start of 2025, taking over at Turkish Super Lig club Besiktas.
While his focus is on Besiktas, Solskjaer still watches United ‘when I can’ and enjoys seeing some of his former players like Bruno Fernandes ‘doing well’.
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Solskjaer was ‘upset’ to see another one of his former stars – Scott McTominay – leave the club last summer.
McTominay joined Italian side Napoli in a deal worth £25m after spending his entire career at Manchester United.
The Scottish midfielder has enjoyed an impressive first season in Naples, helping Antonio Conte’s Napoli challenge for the Serie A title.
Asked if he still follows Manchester United, Solskjaer told The Athletic: ‘When I can. It’s still good to see Bruno Fernandes and Harry [Maguire] doing well.
‘And Scotty is doing well at Napoli. I’m upset that we let him go because he was important last season when he kept popping up with goals. His heart and his knowledge of the culture were important.
‘But my focus is here now; it must be. It’s a huge club with fans all around Turkey and all around the world.
‘We played an away cup game at the Olympic Stadium and we brought 12,000, but it felt like 40,000 because they were so loud.
‘Besiktas is more than a football club and started out as a gymnastics club. The community is important here and there are parallels with United. Besiktas were the first Turkish club to play outside Turkey.
‘I’ve got a big task. My job is to make every player here the best version of themselves. The staff too. I want them to feel important here.’
Solskjaer also revealed he rejected ‘at least 40’ job offers in the time between his spells in charge of Manchester United and Besiktas.
‘I’ve been offered many jobs, but it had to be the right opportunity,’ he said.
‘There’s been at least 40. But they weren’t right; I need to be in my job. I’m a people-person; I use the human capital around me.
‘So why Besiktas? It’s a huge club with a great history in an amazing city. But I’d spoken to them twice before, six months ago and a year ago.
‘It was different this time with the president and the way he spoke about bringing the old Besiktas back with values and respect. Human values like never giving up, always fighting. And they want quick, attacking football.’
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