Ole Gunnar Solskjaer blasts 'snowflakes' in Man Utd dressing room
By Sean Walsh
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed that the players he managed at Manchester United would not have survived in the Old Trafford dressing room in the 1990s and 2000s, labelling some of them as 'snowflakes'.
The Red Devils legend returned to the club as caretaker manager at the end of 2018, but after a superb run of form which included knocking Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League, he was awarded the job on a permanent basis.
United made great strides under Solskjaer, notably recording back-to-back top three finishes in the Premier League and only losing the 2021 Europa League final to Villarreal on penalties. But when they geared up for a title challenge, the club unravelled at the seams once again.
The signings of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo did not bridge the gap to the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool. Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021 and they ended the season with their lowest points tally in the Premier League era.
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Solskjaer was often hailed for his man management and ability to bring together a broken squad, but speaking at the Mercure Manchester Piccadilly Hotel on Friday, he hit back at some of the stars who worked under him, comparing them to the key figures he rubbed shoulders with as a player.
"The lads in that dressing room were absolutely fantastic. Keano [Roy Keane] was the leader, the one everyone looked up to. David May was the joker, the clown. Gary [Neville] is still the busiest and was the busiest back then as well. Nicky [Butt] and Giggsy [Ryan Giggs] were the entertainers," Solskjaer said.
"It was just a fantastic dressing room. Winners, who hated losing. They had a few fights, like you should do, after bad games. You had to shake each other up.
"If you do that to the boys now, they will get their dad, or their mum, or their agents...snowflakes. Not many of today's lot would have survived in that dressing room."
Solskjaer will return to Old Trafford for the first time since he was sacked this Saturday when Man Utd host Wolves in the Premier League.
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On this edition of The Promised Land, part of the 90min podcast network, Scott Saunders and Rob Blanchette discuss Man Utd's recent slump in form and whether Erik ten Hag has to shoulder some of the responsibility.
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