Former Manchester United Striker Solskjaer Hired As The New Manager of Malaysian Owned Premier League Team Cardiff

Cardiff hires Solskjaer as new manager

CARDIFF, Wales: Cardiff hired former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the Premier League club’s new manager on Thursday.

The 40-year-old Solskjaer left Molde in his native Norway to take over at Cardiff, which is 17th in the 20-team Premier League — a point and a place above the relegation zone.  

 

Solskjaer replaced Malky Mackay, who was fired last week after losing a power struggle with the Welsh club’s Malaysian owner, Vincent Tan. Mackay had guided Cardiff into English football’s top division for the first time in 51 years, and also to the 2012 League Cup final.  

 

“Cardiff City Football Club are delighted to announce that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has joined the club as first-team manager,” the club said in a short statement on its website.  

Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is officially unveiled as new manager of English Premier League soccer team Cardiff City during a news conference at their stadium in Cardiff, Wales, January 2, 2014. REUTERS/Rebecca Naden

“Following discussions with Tan Sri Vincent Tan and club chairman Mehmet Dalman, Ole, joining Cardiff City from Molde FK, today met with his new squad at the Vale training ground.”  

 

No details were given on the length of Solskjaer’s contract.  

 

He is scheduled to attend a news conference later Thursday.  

 

Solskjaer spent 11 years at United from 1996-2007, capturing six league titles and famously scoring the winning goal in injury time in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.  

 

He retired in 2007 after failing to recover from a serious knee injury, but remained at United in a coaching and ambassadorial role and went on to become the club’s reserve-team manager.  

 

He coached Molde from 2011, winning back-to-back titles in his first two seasons and then the Norwegian Cup in his third.  

 

Solskjaer was linked to jobs in the Premier League at Aston Villa and Blackburn last year, but stayed in Norway for family reasons.  

 

However, he was immediately installed as favorite to succeed Malkay after the Scot was fired on Friday and held talks with Tan and Dalman at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on Wednesday before the team’s match against the Premier League leaders. AP

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