Manchester United set to reward Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with new £9m contract
By Max Cooper
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to have earned himself a new and improved contract at Manchester United, with talks expected to kick off over a £9m-a-year deal in the coming days.
The Norwegian boss' current contract expires in the summer of 2022, and although he has had his doubters since arriving from Molde in December 2018, he has seemingly done enough to extend his stay.
And The Mirror reports that the Man Utd hierarchy are sufficiently impressed with Solskjaer's work and ability to improve the team during his tenure, and they're set to reward him with a brand new £9m-a-year contract.
He has also been involved in the new restructuring of the club, weighing in with his own ideas on the future of his side on the pitch, while Darren Fletcher and John Murtough have been handed new technical roles off it.
The 48-year-old is yet to win a trophy since returning to Old Trafford, but he has been able to oversee the return of Champions League football, and looks destined to finish in the top four once again. The English giants are currently sitting second in the Premier League, although they lie a whopping 17 points behind leaders and rivals Manchester City.
Solskjaer did enjoy the satisfaction of getting one over the runaway leaders on 7 March, comfortably beating Pep Guardiola's men 2-0 at the Etihad stadium. And Ed Woodward has publicly praised the coach, lauding him for the 'clear progress' made both on and off the pitch.
“The progress made by Ole and the players this season is clear and is adding to the optimism we feel about the future on and off the pitch,” Woodward said.
Solskjaer's future has often been called into question after sticky patches or poor runs of form, but it now looks more secure than ever in the Man Utd dugout.