Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has brought the curtain down on his glorious playing career with Manchester United - but his Old Trafford days are from over.
After 11 years and 366 appearances for the club he joined for a bargain
£1.5million from Norwegian side Molde, Solskjaer has had to finally call it a
day due to an ongoing knee injury.
Striker Solskjaer, who famously scored the winner in the Champions League
final against Bayern Munich to help the club win the treble in 1999, has made
several comebacks in the last four years.
The 34-year-old even scored 11 goals last season as United again won the Premier League crown, but he has never fully overcome his knee
problem.
However, the man famously nicknamed 'the baby-faced assassin', will remain at
United in a coaching capacity and will continue to represent the club as an
official ambassador.
Although it is a sad day for Solskjaer, he appreciates he has had a fantastic
career, scoring 126 goals overall.
'I would like to thank the manager (Sir Alex Ferguson), the coaching and
medical staff, and most of all the supporters who have supported me through my
career,' said Solskjaer.
'They have been fantastic and were a real inspiration to me when I was out
injured.
'The support they and the staff showed me during that time was the main
motivation for me making my comeback.
'I feel proud to have represented Manchester United for 11 years, and have
some very special memories.'
His fondest, though, will always be scoring on his debut just six minutes
after coming off the bench to secure a 2-2 home draw with Blackburn on August
25, 1996
'I've been asked many times what's the greatest moment of my United career,'
said Solskjaer.
'Scoring that goal in my first game and turning round to see that Eric
Cantona was the first one coming towards me to celebrate, that just made me
realise, 'I'm at Old Trafford now'.'
With great irony, his last goal was also after coming on as a sub against
Blackburn at Old Trafford in March, scoring in the 90th minute of a 4-1 win.
There is no doubt Solskjaer will be missed on the playing side, but Ferguson
is now hoping he can translate his talent to his coaching role.
'Ending your playing career is a sad day for anyone, in the case of Ole, he
has 11 fantastic years he can look back on,' remarked Ferguson.
'Ole has achieved everything a player could ever wish to achieve.
'He has been a great servant to the club and has always remained a model
professional in his responsibility as a player, and in his demeanour, and his
manners have always been exemplary.
'Ole will hopefully go on to be a good coach.'
Whilst reflecting with fondness on Solskjaer's past at United, chief executive
David Gill is also looking towards a bright future for the Norwegian.
'Ole has provided us all with some exceptional memories during his time here
at the club,' said Gill.
'Nobody will ever forget his dramatic winner in Barcelona, but much more than
that his dedication and professionalism make him one of the great role models in
football.
'Ole will be dearly missed as a player, but will go on to serve the club as
an ambassador and a valuable coach.'
Blackburn boss and former Manchester United strike Mark Hughes also paid a
glowing tribute to Solskjaer.
'Ole is guaranteed a place in United's history and football's history with
his goal in the European Cup final,' said Hughes.
'But he brought so much more to Manchester United. He had a huge influence
over many years.
'I met him on many occasions. He is a true professional, a very humble man,
but a very successful one.
'Ole has many qualities and I'm sure that will help him going into another
period in his life.'
Solskjaer's father Oyvind revealed the decision to quit had not been an easy
one for his son.
'He wanted to keep playing,' said Solskjaer senior.
'This is sad for us, and for him, that he has to quit. He'd hoped to recover
100%, but now something has happened in his knee that makes it impossible for
him to continue.
'But he believed himself that he still had a lot to offer on the football
field, if he'd just recover.'
