Ole Gunnar Solskjær Cares Little for Egos or Age at Manchester United

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær. (AFP)
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær. (AFP)
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Ole Gunnar Solskjær Cares Little for Egos or Age at Manchester United

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær. (AFP)
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær. (AFP)

In Manchester United’s opening two games Ole Gunnar Solskjær has shown the ruthlessness required to successfully transform the side.

The manager is ushering in a vibrant core who made his XI against Chelsea on the opening day the youngest of the weekend – at an average age of 24 years and 227 days – and that mark was lowered to 24 years and 173 days at Wolves on Monday.

This illustrates a determination from Solskjær to go his own way. The ability to man-manage will be tested because a policy of putting team before egos means the headline victims are the center-backs Phil Jones and Chris Smalling, plus the midfielder Nemanja Matic, all senior players.

Solskjær could not find even a place on the bench for Jones and Smalling for the 4-0 win against Chelsea or 1-1 draw at Molineux. Their demotion occurred after Victor Lindelöf and Harry Maguire started, which meant a drop in status to fourth and fifth choice, as the 21-year-old Axel Tuanzebe was preferred by Solskjær as the backup central defender in the matchday 18.

The manager’s move comes after Jones and Smalling agreed new contracts last season. The latter’s was extended to 2022 with an option for a further year, meaning Smalling in theory will be a United defender at 34. Jones’s deal runs to 2023 and also has a 12-month extension clause, so he will be 31 when the terms end.

Whereas Smalling’s deal was agreed three days before José Mourinho was sacked last December, Solskjær was in charge when Jones signed on again, though this may have been a fait accompli for the then caretaker manager. Clear, though, is how, as the permanent manager, he has acted decisively regarding his view of a pair who have a collective 17 years at the club. And when Eric Bailly returns from his latest knee injury Jones and Smalling may be marginalized further.

Bailly is – alongside Maguire, Lindelöf, Smalling, Jones, Marcos Rojo and Tuanzebe – one of seven central defenders that, Solskjær conceded before the trip to Wolves, are “too many to keep happy”.

With the continental transfer window open until early next month Solskjær will hope to prune at least one but even this would leave six players for the two center-back places with which he plans to operate in most matches. Rojo, 29, has previously come close to leaving and may go, as might Matteo Darmian, a full-back who is the same age and has been on the verge of departing during the past three summers.

Matic is another former automatic choice who has a fight on his hands, as Andreas Pereira, 23, and Scott McTominay, 22, move ahead of him. At 31 Juan Mata is the same age as the Serb, and Ashley Young, the club captain, is 33. Of the trio only Mata made an appearance in the opening games, as an 86th-minute replacement at Wolves, Matic being an unused substitute for each, with Young on the bench at Molineux.

At 26 Fred is no veteran but finds himself in a similar scenario: left out of both 18s and, as a midfielder, relegated to fifth choice behind Paul Pogba, McTominay, Pereira and Matic.

Alexis Sánchez is 31 in December and yet to feature and Solskjær will be relieved should the misfiring forward’s proposed move to Internazionale occur.

If the average age of 30 of the quintet of Jones, Smalling, Mata, Matic and Young is one reason for them facing bit-part roles, another is that – Mata apart – none is an ideal fit for the Solskjær’s fast, pressing style. Yet all could start grumbling if no real match time is enjoyed, and Solskjær has a squad of 28, which is five outfield players too many. Keeping those moved to the outside onside will be a challenge.

After the 4-0 humbling at Everton in April the manager said: “I’m going to be successful here, and there are players here that won’t be part of that successful team.” This seemed to indicate a removal of dead wood during the close season yet by the time the domestic transfer market finished it had not happened. This led to criticism of Solskjær, who was viewed as being a soft touch by not acting as he had claimed he would.

In his team selection so far Solskjær has proved his words at Goodison Park were not hollow. When Crystal Palace arrive at Old Trafford on Saturday expect him to send out another fresh-looking side.

The Guardian Sport



Thomas Muller Bids Farewell to Bayern Munich with Loss in Club World Cup

05 July 2025, US, Atlanta: Munich's Thomas Muller sits on the bench ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal soccer match against between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (dpa)
05 July 2025, US, Atlanta: Munich's Thomas Muller sits on the bench ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal soccer match against between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (dpa)
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Thomas Muller Bids Farewell to Bayern Munich with Loss in Club World Cup

05 July 2025, US, Atlanta: Munich's Thomas Muller sits on the bench ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal soccer match against between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (dpa)
05 July 2025, US, Atlanta: Munich's Thomas Muller sits on the bench ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal soccer match against between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (dpa)

After the final whistle to his Club World Cup, Thomas Muller waved to the Bayern Munich fans one last time.

His quarter-century with the German club is over.

The 35-year-old Muller went out with a 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals on Saturday, a bittersweet ending to a tenure filled with so much glory.

Muller came on as a substitute in the 80th minute and appeared to draw a penalty in the waning seconds of stoppage time when PSG's Nuno Mendes delivered a high challenge in the area.

But the video review showed that Mendes' foot struck the ball, just missing Muller's chin, and that finished off the PSG victory.

“I'm still fully in work mode now,” Muller said. “It doesn't feel much different from before the game when we tried, and I also tried, to just get one round further.”

He wasn't ready to reflect on his brilliant career at Bayern, which began when he joined the club as a 10-year-old in the summer of 2000.

“In the end, maybe we deserved more,” Muller said. “But in football when you have these tight matches, it's sometimes a coin flip. And, yes, we lost it.”

Muller made more appearances than any other player at Bayern, with more than 200 goals scored and more than 200 set up for others. He led the club to a record 13 Bundesliga titles, going out with one last championship this past season.

But Bayern announced in April that it would not extend his hefty contract for another season.

“Of course, I am aware that this was my last game, and I will see what goes through my head in the coming days,” Muller said.

He hasn't revealed his future plans, though there have been reports linking him to a possible move to US-based Major League Soccer.

“At the moment, I'm not in the mood to share my deeper thoughts about my career,” Muller said. “We lost a big fight, a very important game for us.”