Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opens door to sensational Man Utd return if Erik ten Hag is sacked

Erik ten Hag is coming under increased scrutiny amid a disappointing start to Manchester United's season, with former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ready to return to Old Trafford

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted he would love to return as Manchester United manager if under-fire Erik ten Hag leaves his post.

Ten Hag has overseen a disappointing start to the season, having led United to a dreadful campaign last year. They have won just two Premier League games so far this term and sit 11th in the table.

The Dutchman was handed a new contract in the summer, but only after speculation grew that he would be sacked. Ten Hag's future has come under fresh scrutiny after a dire draw with FC Twente in their opening Europa League game.

And with the United manager's seat potenially soon to be vacant, Solskjaer has thrown his hat into the ring. The Norwegian has been out of work since being sacked by United in November 2021, but he insists he has unfinished business at Old Trafford.

"If the family [United] asks, I would say yes every day of the week," Solskjaer said in a Q&A at the Oslo Business Forum. "It feels wrong to talk about jobs that other people have now, but I would say yes, of course."

Solskjaer spent three years in charge at United after replacing Jose Mourinho, guiding them to a second-place finish in the 2020/2021 campaign. But having failed to win any silverware, he endured a dreadful start to the 2021/2022 season.

After a run of six defeats in 11 games in late-2021, including a 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool, Solskjaer was sacked. As well as United, Solskjaer also has his eye on the Norway manager's job, with coach Stale Solbakken expected to step down at the end of the country's 2026 World Cup campaign.

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"I am a proud Norwegian, and of course if the question arises, when Ståle decides to give up, I will happily engage in discussions," Solskjaer added. "I am a proud Norwegian and proud of where I come from."

Ten Hag meanwhile has failed to hide his frustration with his side in the way of Wednesday's draw with Twente. The Dutchman insisted his side had to improve having dropped their performance levels.

"We kept them alive, we were 1-0 up, controlling the game. You We dropped the level and gave the goal away. We are very frustrated. A player of Twente can dribble through almost the whole pitch, or half the pitch, without stopping. That is not acceptable," he said.

"It’s the first game, it’s very important you get a win. I am only thinking about the performance, what we have to improve and where we have to be more consistent. It’s about building good structures, creating chances to kill teams off.

"We have to build and tomorrow we have to keep going. Tonight was not good enough; we should have won. We kept the opponent alive and we did not finish it off after we went 1-0 up, that’s not good, we know this and we have to learn from this."

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