It has been over a year since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer departed Manchester United but the Norwegian is keen to jump back into management after 12 months of adaptating, travelling and learning.
The Red Devils appointed the 49-year-old as caretaker manager in December 2018 following the sacking of Jose Mourinho for the rest of the season. After winning 14 of his first 19 matches in charge, Solskjaer signed a three-year contract to take over as the United boss on a permanent basis.
Despite a disastrous start to the 2019/20 campaign, Solskjaer managed to rally the troops and qualify for the Champions League on the final day of the season away at Leicester City. It was a feat that drove them on and United would become Manchester City's closest challengers to the title in the following season, with the Red Devils finishing second - their highest position since Sir Alex Ferguson left.
There was some real optimism that United could kick on following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus, but the tide turned the other way and the Red Devils' form crashed back down to earth. United suffered heavy defeats against Liverpool, Leicester and Watford in October and November, which proved to be the nail in the coffin for Solskjaer, whose departure was confirmed after an emergency meeting with the club's board.
Since his emotional exit from Old Trafford, Solskjaer has learned to sail and, with an eye on the future, watched lots of football and travelled to games around Europe. According to The Athletic, Solskjaer wants to manage again and has used this time to evaluate, analyse and study the winning teams in the top European leagues.
Does Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserve more credit for the job he did at Man Utd? Let us know in the comments below!
He has also done a number of other activities, including re-watching every United game he was in charge of - all 168 of them during his three years at United. Solskjaer recorded a 51% win percentage, winning 91 of his matches at the helm, and some were memorable, to say the least.
Solskjaer, who was happy with his record at the Red Devils, led United to six consecutive away victories in all competitions for the first time since May 2009, beating Tottenham at Wembley in the process. In March 2019, United came from 2-0 down to beat Paris Saint-Germain over two legs in the Champions League thanks to a 3-1 win in France.
There were countless other fantastic results, with back-to-back Premier League Manchester derby away wins also in the memory for Solskjaer. But the former Cardiff City boss has his eyes set on getting back into management after a year of reflection and learning.
Having returned to the dugout for his son's Kristiansund clash against Blindheim at under 14s level, Solskjaer is eager to be back in senior management, whether that be for club or country. He is recharged but has never stopped learning and feels he is a better manager for his experience at United.
