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Our dad is Man Utd icon and Treble winner – now we’re following in his footsteps and one of us even played for the club


THE name Solskjaer instantly takes plenty of football fans back to a dramatic night at the Nou Camp in 1999.

Teddy Sheringham had just equalised for Manchester United against Bayern Munich in injury time of the Champions League final.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fired Manchester United to the Treble in dramatic scenesCredit: PA

And then up stepped Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with his 93rd-minute winner to complete the Red Devils’ historic Treble and etch himself into footballing folklore. 

Now his kids are hoping to do the same by forging their own careers in the beautiful game.

The bar, though, is remarkably high.

Solskjaer, the son of a Greco-Roman wrestling champion, developed in the Clausenengen academy and broke into the senior squad aged 17 before heading to Molde.

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But just a year later, in 1996, the striker signed for Manchester United for just £1.5million. 

The ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ went on to make 366 appearances over the next 11 seasons – although he missed the entire 2004-05 campaign through injury – and scored 126 goals. 

The 67-cap Norway international won six Premier League titles under Sir Alex Ferguson as well as two FA Cups.

After hanging up his boots in 2007, he went into coaching with the United youth team before a miserable stint as Cardiff City manager sandwiched between two successful spells at Molde.

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Then in December 2018, Solskjaer returned to Old Trafford as caretaker manager, replacing the sacked Jose Mourinho.

After a red-hot start, he was given the job on a permanent basis, reaching the Europa League final before his dismissal in November 2021. 

Ironically, though, Solskjaer managed AGAINST his own son as Noah Solskjaer made his senior football debut.

The then-19-year-old came on in a pre-season friendly between Kristiansund – the hometown of both him and his dad – and United in 2019. 

Solskjaer Jr, who started out at Clausenengen just like his old man, was released in 2021, though.

And he is now playing in midfield for fourth-division Spjelkavik in Norway. 

Noah has also proven he is not afraid to speak up for himself – with a cheeky dig at his dad and also bravely taking on Mourinho with a cheeky quip about his dad’s parenting. 

Noah Solskjaer made his senior debut in a pre-season friendly for Kristiansund against UnitedCredit: Getty – Contributor
Solskjaer was the Red Devils manager when Noah got on the pitchCredit: Getty – Contributor
Karna Solskjaer played for Manchester United to become the first father-daughter duo to represent the clubCredit: Getty

The youngster revealed his idol is not Solskjaer Sr… but his former team-mate Wayne Rooney.

And he models his game on another ex-Red Devils man in Michael Carrick.

He said: “I have a small role model in Michael Carrick. In the beginning I started up front, but the longer it has gone on I have gone further back in the side.

“I’m now more of a No6 in midfield than a No10. It would be nice to get in the game. After seeing such big games, I’ve got used to it.”

But Noah is not the only child of Ole and Silje who has inherited the footballing gene.

Youngest Elijah was in the Manchester United academy when Ole was first-team boss.

But daughter Karna was the one who wrote history when she made her debut for Manchester United Women in January 2022.

The striker came off the bench in the 88th minute of the Women’s FA Cup win over Bridgwater United to replace Ferreira Fuso – with her proud parents watching from the stands. 

That saw Ole and Karna become the first father and daughter pair to play for Manchester United. 

Karna also helped the Red Devils win the 2022 WSL Academy Cup at St George’s Park but left in 2022 to sign for Norwegian third-tier side AaFK Fortuna.

Solskjaer pictured carrying Noah after Brooklyn Beckham’s birthday partyCredit: PA:Press Association
Solskjaer retired in 2007 as he struggled to recover from a long-term knee injuryCredit: Reuters
The Norwegian returned to Old Trafford as manager in December 2018Credit: Getty
Ole and Silje watched on as proud parents when Karna made her debutCredit: Twitter


Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk


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