Solskjaer reveals he knew Man Utd had sacked him at half-time against Watford

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knew Manchester United were going to sack him before the final whistle of his last match in charge, telling players at half-time of the 4-1 defeat to Watford in November 2021 that it was “probably going to be the last time we worked together”.

Speaking to The Athletic in 2023, Solskjaer described the moment with striking clarity. “Nobody told me, but I knew at half-time against Watford,” he said. “We didn’t look like a Man United team; the players weren’t running for each other.” United were 2-0 down at the interval, and despite Solskjaer urging his squad to “play with pride”, a Harry Maguire red card ended any hope of a comeback. The club confirmed his dismissal the following day.

The Norwegian’s recollection has resurfaced in the context of current Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick, who suffered a strikingly similar evening when his United side were beaten 4-1 by Como in the Champions League. Carrick, who served as part of Solskjaer’s coaching staff throughout his tenure at Old Trafford, walked over to the travelling supporters after the final whistle and raised his hands in apology — a gesture that echoed his former manager’s public contrition in 2021.

“I feel for the fans. I feel the same as the fans,” Solskjaer had said after the Watford loss. “We’re embarrassed losing the way we do. Sometimes you have to say sorry and that was a sorry for the performance.”

Carrick’s words after Como carried a near-identical tone. “I have to apologise to the supporters,” he said. “I care about this football club as much as anyone, if not more. For us to play in that way, it’s not acceptable.”

Unlike Solskjaer, Carrick was not dismissed in the immediate aftermath. He has won just two of his 11 games in charge this season, with United winless in seven, but he was set to take charge against Bournemouth on Sunday. Last season, Carrick guided United to third in the table, a run of form that bought him significant goodwill — though the Como result represented a new low.

Solskjaer managed United for almost three years, initially as a caretaker before being appointed permanently, a trajectory that mirrors Carrick’s own path into the role. The parallels between the two men’s tenures — the early promise, the eventual decline, and now the shared language of apology — have drawn renewed attention to just how quickly fortunes can shift at one of football’s most scrutinised clubs.