In the reception area at Molde’s Aker Stadium, the club’s bubbly secretary Heidi Rindaroy is rapidly into her stride.
‘I hear our Ole has been treating Kath, the Manchester United receptionist at Carrington, to some Norwegian chocolates,’ she says. ‘So I better put my request in for some British shortbread.
‘But that is Ole. He treats us all equally. He bought me some excellent red wine as a Christmas present.’
Molde FK are the team that have shaped Manchester United interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The former striker has taken a break from his Molde contract to take over at Old Trafford
Solskjaer has described himself as feeling 'back home' since taking charge at United
Solskjaer’s charm and affable presence is the overriding narrative at Manchester United since he arrived almost a month ago.
After the snarl of Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer’s smile has lifted the mood and seen United record five wins and score 16 goals in five matches ahead of Sunday’s visit to Tottenham.
In his home country, the adoration of Solskjaer grows. ‘In Norway, there is the Pope and then it’s Ole,’ chuckles former Norway manager Age Hareide. ‘He is our most famous sportsman but this is new ground even for him.’
This is only a six-month agreement but for Solskjaer, 45, it is the opportunity of a lifetime. One friend admits that Solskjaer feared he was finished in English football after a dismal period at Cardiff.
Ole Olsen, Solskjaer’s former boss at first club Clausnengen, says: ‘He would like the job. He texted me after the Huddersfield match, saying, “I’m back home”.
‘You need downs to get up. The ownership in Cardiff was different. At United, he knows the canteen staff, the washing ladies, everyone. It is easier for him. You never know with this boy. As a player, he took the stage in Manchester. He will do the same again.’
Solskjaer’s reputation as a player is legendary, but there was a time when his presence raised eyebrows at Old Trafford. United were actually scouting defender Ronny Johnsen during a Norway game against Azerbaijan in 1996 but Solskjaer stole the show by scoring a brilliant volley.
When he arrived at Old Trafford to sign his contract, a tour guide looked non-plussed and asked who he was.
Rune Edoy, a local journalist who has known the Solskjaer family for over 20 years, recalls: ‘United presented Ole, Karel Poborsky, Jordi Cruyff and Ronny Johnsen together.
Ole Olsen was the former Norway international's manager at his first club Clausnengen
'Cruyff was the star. All four were presented together. Nobody asked a question to Ole and nobody asked Ferguson about Ole.’
Cruyff remembers the United dressing room being instantly impressed. ‘His shooting was like a computer game. Press the button, turn the joystick and it always goes into the corner. Unbelievable.’
After a goal-laden start, Solskjaer’s finishing touch was compared in Sportsmail’s pages to that of the great Denis Law and in 1999 he inscribed his name into United folklore with that winning goal in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
Solskjaer scored 126 goals for United and from 2000, took notes on his own training performance and every session run by Ferguson and assistants Steve McClaren and Carlos Queiroz.
When Solskjaer informed his manager of his intention to retire in 2007, Ferguson offered him a coaching role within two minutes. For three years, Solskjaer relished working under Ferguson. He coached United’s strikers in the final months of their 2007-08 double-winning campaign and then spent two years as reserve team coach, where he worked with Paul Pogba.
He is a rare example of a man cherished by both Ferguson and Roy Keane. He is said to be one of only of a handful of players who had Keane’s number during the Irishman’s fraught final season at United and the families remain close.
In 2010, Solskjaer returned to Molde as manager. ‘If United are an ocean liner, Molde are a rowing boat,’ quips one friend. Managing director Oystein Neerland is honest.
‘We do not buy players for £100million,’ he says. ‘Molde’s main street — our only street — is 300 metres long with a few shops. The population is 27,000. We have 12,000 at the stadium, so nearly 50 per cent of the population have season tickets. Molde is not in the top 30 cities in Norway.’
‘If United are an ocean liner, Molde are a rowing boat,’ quips Molde's managing director
Oystein Neerland is honest in his assessment of the difference between the two clubs
‘What are your first impressions of Norway?’ Christian Michelson, Kristiansund’s head coach, politely asked me.
‘Is your hotel good?’
‘Fine, thanks,’ I replied, slightly bemused that he should take such an interest in me.
‘Is the food good? Settling in OK?’
‘Good, thank you.’
‘How does it feel to follow in the footsteps of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?’
I mumbled a reply and thought — is everyone in Norway this polite to foreign journalists?
Then, after five minutes of chit-chat it finally dawned on Michelson that I was not, in fact, Armenian trialist goalkeeper Arsen Beglaryan, who was also arriving at the club the same day.
‘This is such a relief,’ the coach laughed.
‘All I was thinking is that you seem so weak to be a goalkeeper!’
Local newspaper Tidens Krav ran a story about the mishap before explaining the real reason for Sportsmail’s visit!
ADAM CRAFTON
Molde is, however, a place of almost impossible beauty. The club’s stadium is set against the banks of Romsadalsfjord and from one local vantage point, 222 mountain peaks are visible.
When Solskjaer arrived in 2010, the club had never won a title and had narrowly escaped relegation.
Former United
