Solskjaer knew United would sack him at half-time before Watford defeat sealed his fate

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told his Manchester United players at half-time of the 4-1 defeat to Watford in November 2021 that it was probably the last time they would work together — before anyone at the club had officially informed him his job was gone. The Norwegian was sacked the following day, ending a near three-year reign at Old Trafford.

“Nobody told me, but I knew at half-time against Watford,” Solskjaer recalled to The Athletic in 2023. “We didn’t look like a Man United team; the players weren’t running for each other. At half-time, I told the players it was probably going to be the last time we worked together and to play with pride. We almost turned it around, until Harry Maguire got sent off.”

Solskjaer’s recollection has resurfaced in the context of current United head coach Michael Carrick, who faces strikingly similar pressure after his side were beaten 4-1 by Como in the Champions League — a result that left United with just two wins from 11 matches and without a victory in seven.

Carrick, who served as part of Solskjaer’s coaching staff throughout his tenure, walked over to apologise to travelling supporters after the final whistle in Como, echoing his former manager’s response at Vicarage Road. “I have to apologise to the supporters,” Carrick said. “I went over to the end, and I care about this football club as much as anyone, if not more, with the position that I’m in.”

Solskjaer offered a near-identical message in 2021. “I feel for the fans. I feel the same as the fans. We’re embarrassed losing the way we do. We are in a very bad run and bad situation. Sometimes you have to say sorry, and that was a sorry for the performance.”

Unlike Solskjaer, who was dismissed the morning after the Watford loss, Carrick is expected to remain in charge for United’s Premier League fixture against Bournemouth on Sunday. The 45-year-old initially impressed after taking the role, steering United to a third-place finish, but the Como defeat represents the lowest point of his spell as head coach.