Manchester United have been warned by former Liverpool player and pundit Danny Murphy about the “crazy” decision to hire Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as interim manager again.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, Murphy said he thought it was “ridiculous” to be going back in for Solskjaer after they’d previously sacked him.
The Norwegian tactician, also a former Man Utd player, had an initial spell as interim manager after Jose Mourinho was sacked at Old Trafford, and he then ended up getting the job permanently.
However, things ended badly for him as he was sacked in November 2021, so it does seem strange to turn to him now when things are looking even worse.
Manchester United warned against bringing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer back
When asked about the United manager situation, Murphy made it clear he didn’t agree with the prospect of Solskjaer coming in for another spell as interim manager.
Watch below as the pundit instead suggested someone like Roy Keane being given a chance at the job…
Danny Murphy says it would be ‘ridiculous’ if Man Utd were to re-hire Ole Gunnar Solskjær as interim manager, having ‘failed’ in the role previously. pic.twitter.com/8vU9lbsZdw
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) January 8, 2026
“Well the Solskjaer one, coming back is crazy,” Murphy said. “I mean, Man Utd paid him to leave because he ultimately failed and then they’re going to pay him to come back.
“It seems ridiculous when you’ve got options like Michael Carrick … and then obviously you’ve got someone like (Roy) Keane who the fans would love to come back.
“Okay some people might think that would be a bit chaotic, but he’s a leader – they need someone to galvanise everybody, and I’m not sure Solskjaer’s the man to do that.”
Solskjaer’s record as Manchester United manager
Solskjaer started well in his first stint as MUFC boss, but things ended pretty terribly for him before he was eventually sacked in November 2021.
The 52-year-old took charge of 168 games in total, winning 91 of those, giving him a win percentage of 54.17%.
See below for his full record compared to other recent managers as Fabrizio Romano reports on YouTube that talks are advancing over his return…
| Manager | Games | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % |
| Ole Gunnar Solskjaer | 168 | 91 | 37 | 40 | 54.17 |
| Michael Carrick (caretaker) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Ralf Rangnick (interim) | 29 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 37.93 |
| Erik ten Hag | 128 | 70 | 23 | 35 | 54.69 |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy (caretaker) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 75.00 |
| Ruben Amorim | 63 | 24 | 18 | 21 | 38.10 |
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