“It was petty!” Ole Gunnar Solskjær discloses the shocking mentality of Manchester United players from his tenure when it came to becoming captain

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has labelled the Man United stars as 'petty' for refusing captaincy during his tenure.

“It was petty!” Ole Gunnar Solskjær discloses the shocking mentality of Manchester United players from his tenure when it came to becoming captain

United won a total of zero trophies under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Via X/@UnitedReport)

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s time at Manchester United was outlined by numerous issues at the club. From players refusing to become captain and others showing a lack of ‘character’, the reasons for his eventual sacking were many. Recently, the Norwegian manager and club legend opened up about the state of affairs during his tenure at the helm.

In a shocking revelation, the former boss said that players were unwilling to captain the side in certain matches.

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They didn't want to say it to me, so they got other people (coaches) coming to tell me. It was petty!
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the Stick to Football podcast

The manager’s admission has kicked off a flood of comments shaming the mentality of players at the club. In a candid analysis, the Champions League winner labelled Gen Z mentality as ‘weak’.

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He added that their behavior was nothing short of shameless and no player should turn the biggest possible accolade in their playing career. Solskjaer also recounted how certain players would opt out of giving the pre-match interviews, as they were ‘afraid’ to answer the questions.

His time at United saw the club finish third and runner-up in the League, with a silver medal in the UEFA Europa League being his biggest achievement.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recalls how Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t ‘like’ being benched

Cristiano Ronaldo was brought into the club with high hopes of the Red Devils securing the Premier League title. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had led the side to a second place finish the season prior, and with the arrival of Ronaldo, things were looking bright. However, the United legend’s return to Old Trafford was quite the opposite, as the club failed to claim silverware in his second stint.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer & Cristiano Ronaldo
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ronaldo weren’t at the club together for even one whole season (Via X/@UtdEllis)

Speaking for the Stick to Football podcast, the former manager recalled an incident with Ronaldo. 

When he arrived at the club, he told me to start him for three games in a row and then put him on the bench for the fourth. He's so passionate, that when I did that, he didn't like it.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the Stick to Football podcast

Solskjaer added that his passion was a trait that sometimes had it’s own problems.

However, Solskjaer quickly put to rest any rumors of potential misbehavior from the superstar. He clarified that in spite of a rocky start, he couldn’t recall any other instance where the two had a difference of opinion or clash of interests. Even though the manager left in 2021, Ronaldo continued to have problems with the new manager – Erik ten Hag. The Dutchman benched him on several occasions and he eventually called time on his United career in 2022.

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