Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified one big problem he encountered with his players while he was in charge of the club.
The Norwegian tactician made a promising start in a spell as interim manager at United, but things went rapidly downhill after he took the job permanently.
Solskjaer was then sacked and replaced by Ralf Rangnick, whom he spoke to about the issues in the Red Devils squad, and he opened up about what he said in an interview with The Athletic.
It seems clear Solskjaer points the finger at agents and how they have a negative impact on modern footballers, who were not ready to fight for their place in the team if they found themselves dropped, which is what Solskjaer says he would have done back in his days as a player.
MUFC fans will have an idea in their heads about which players were particularly problematic in that respect, but Solskjaer didn’t name any names in his interview.
“The club he (Rangnick) found in November 2021 was different from September 2021. I told him when I gave my opinion on every player. Things had soured, the collective had been lost and that’s not Man United, where teams are built on the collective,” Solskjaer told The Athletic.
“Some players felt they should’ve played more and weren’t constructive to the environment. That’s a huge sin for me. When I didn’t start games I wanted to prove to the manager he’d made the wrong decision.
“Now, a lot of players aren’t like that. Agents and family members get into their heads and tell them they’re better than they are because they have a vested interest. It’s a disease of modern football.”