Solskjaer On Besiktas, Man Utd, Maguire & Mctominay

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer bounces successful arsenic ray and airy arsenic nan summertime room Besiktas person allocated for our interview.

"I came present to get distant from group for illustration you," he laughs, explaining nan joke to nine officials done his Turkish interpreter.

His temper is relaxed and jovial.

Over nan adjacent 30 minutes, Solskjaer, who is 2,000 miles from his belief location successful Manchester and 1,700 from his existent location successful Norway, reflects connected nan deficiency of interaction pinch erstwhile United colleagues, reveals his daze astatine nan waste of Scott McTominay and interest complete what's happening to his "family" astatine Old Trafford.

But this is not his privilege correct now. He must ore connected a monolithic and highly pressurised managerial domiciled and his first acquisition of an Istanbul derby distant from home, erstwhile Besiktas look Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce connected Sunday.

It is an important game. Besiktas request a consequence to support hopes of a third-place decorativeness which, depending connected who wins nan Turkish Cup final, offers a Europa League play-off spot alternatively than a spot successful nan 2nd qualifying round.

"That's nan woody I person made," Solskjaer says. "It is much important than an other fewer quid. If we get third, nan players get an other week disconnected successful nan summer."

Fenerbahce are chasing nan 3rd - and presently ascendant - Istanbul team, Galatasaray, for nan title. Heading into nan weekend, they are 5 points behind, pinch 5 games left. They cannot spend to gaffe up. Who knows what Mourinho has successful shop to move nan business his way.

It is against this backdrop that Solskjaer has agreed to speak astatine magnitude to BBC Sport for nan first clip since he mislaid his occupation astatine Manchester United successful October 2021. Like Mourinho earlier him, nan Norwegian paid nan value for regression nan play aft he vanished second.

Besiktas are very overmuch his nine now. But events astatine Old Trafford are ne'er acold from his mind.

"Man United is my family and will ever beryllium portion of me," he says.

"In football, you don't consciousness sorry for anyone because we are privileged, perfectly 100% privileged to beryllium capable to activity successful clubs for illustration this.

"But for me, it is difficult to watch because it is your family that is struggling. It is ne'er easy astatine nan play erstwhile you look astatine nan table."

He is talking pinch incredulity astir nan truth United, astatine nan clip of this meeting, are 14th successful nan Premier League.

They were seventh erstwhile he was dismissed aft a 4-1 conclusion astatine Watford. Two months earlier that they had been third, down leaders Chelsea connected extremity difference.

But a unspeakable tally of results, including a grounds 5-0 location conclusion by Liverpool and 2-0 nonaccomplishment to Manchester City astatine Old Trafford wherever nan scoreline massively flattered United, meant Solskjaer knew what was coming arsenic nan Watford debacle unfolded.

It has taken him a agelong clip to return. Why Besiktas?

"You person not been present agelong enough," he says pinch a smile.

"The nine is fantastic. I said to a batch without doing thing astir it. This was nan only 1 I said to wherever I looked backmost afterwards and thought 'I wish I was there' because location is truthful overmuch potential.

"You consciousness nan personality and civilization successful nan nine is aligned pinch you; nan values astir honesty, organization work. We were nan first nine successful Turkey to spell overseas to play. It is very akin to Man United successful that sense. It conscionable reminded maine of Man United erstwhile I was there."

The pay-off is telling.

At United, Solskjaer had tried to instil nan 'look aft everyone' mentality he knew truthful good from Sir Alex Ferguson's time.

He took that attack from nan first time he returned to United's Carrington training crushed aft taking an SOS telephone from past executive president Ed Woodward successful December 2018.

Woodward wanted Solskjaer to bring a grin backmost to nan look of a nine that had turned toxic arsenic Mourinho's tenure drew to a adjacent amid rancour and recrimination.

The caller leader handed retired cocoa bars to unit members – thing he utilized to do successful his ain playing days. Beloved receptionist Kath Phipps was nan first recipient. Solskjaer flew successful for Phipps' ceremonial successful January 2025. He went connected to nan wake, which was populated by truthful galore of nan aged guard.

Solskjaer noted that day, arsenic did truthful galore others, location seemed to beryllium a disconnect betwixt United's existent activity and nan past.

We meet a time aft United person beaten Atletico Bilbao to works 1 ft into nan Europa League final. His elation for players he knows good comes pinch a shocking revelation fixed his knowledge of nan nine and nan proposal he could offer, positive nan elevated position he holds from his playing days, which goes acold beyond a azygous – iconic – extremity astatine nan Nou Camp.

"For me, Harry [Maguire] has ever been a leader and a fighter," Solskjaer says.

"I was ne'er successful uncertainty erstwhile I signed him and he walked successful nan doorway he would beryllium skipper for us.

"There is different skipper location successful Bruno [Fernandes]. The 2 of them are apical quality beings. I was truthful happy for them past night.

"Those 2 and Victor [Lindelof] are astir apt nan only ones I person heard from successful nan nine since I left. You want nan champion for them."

He doesn't opportunity it – and wouldn't because by his quality he is not 1 to return inexpensive shots and he will ne'er change nan fundamentals he took from his parents and has tried to walk connected arsenic a hubby and begetter – but nan deficiency of connection hurts.

An illustration of his values is shown a fewer minutes later erstwhile he is stepping crossed from nan Besiktas training crushed from nan summertime location to nan main building to get his lunch.

Two young supporters spot him and inquire for autographs and selfies. Not only does he oblige, he stops 19-year-old Ecuador winger Keny Arroyo, a £6.4m February arrival, who is astir to locomotion past, to make judge he does nan same.

There is simply a beardown Manchester United undercurrent to nan adjacent crippled for Solskjaer.

Working pinch him astatine Besiktas is erstwhile United goalkeeping coach Richard Hartis and Tom Green, who near his occupation astatine United's elder capacity expert successful February to return connected nan caput of study domiciled astatine nan Turkish club.

Playing for Mourinho is erstwhile United midfielder Sofyan Amrabat and besides a subordinate Solskjaer knows very good successful Fred, nan Brazilian half of United's one-time 'McFred' midfield axis, alongside Scott McTominay.

Talking astir this offers an opportunity to despair astatine nan recruitment and income decisions his aged nine person taken, including allowing McTominay to subordinate Napoli.

"Scott and Fred together, they were lads you would put your chapeau connected each time to springiness 100%," Solskjaer says.

"How you tin waste Scott is beyond me."

Solskjaer assesses nan activity up of him successful a pragmatic way. From a detached perspective, it seems galore of nan challenges he is facing are akin to those Ruben Amorim is experiencing astatine United.

To that end, a Europa League triumph could beryllium important successful buying Amorim time. It is thing United came wrong a missed David de Gea punishment of achieving erstwhile Solskjaer's squad were beaten by Unai Emery's Villarreal successful nan 2021 final.

"Everyone knows you request clip to style a squad into what you want it to look like," said Solskjaer.

"But you person to negociate it nan champion you can, not arsenic you wish it was. There are things I want my squad to do that this 1 can't. We person travel into a difficult financial period. We person spent money, possibly not truthful wisely."

I constituent retired that is an study I person heard astir different nine adjacent to his heart. Solskjaer is astir to reply but checks himself.

"Yes. But that's, you cognize erstwhile you…….actually, I don't person to opportunity that," he said.

"Look, recruitment is astir apt nan astir important point successful football.

"You request nan structures correct and you request to get nan correct group in.

"When you negociate two, three, 4 aliases 5 different managers' players, it is difficult to make it equilibrium into a squad you want to see. Everyone knows you request continuity and patience to get success, but not excessively galore get it."

Solskjaer has not spoken to Mourinho since his presence successful Turkey and says he is looking guardant to gathering him again.

I punctual him of their spat successful April 2021 – a week earlier Mourinho was sacked by Tottenham – erstwhile nan Portuguese reacted severely to Solskjaer claiming Son Heung-min had cheated to guarantee a United extremity was disallowed.

"I would not provender my boy if he behaved for illustration that," chided nan Norwegian astatine nan time. Mourinho's consequence was classic: "Sonny is very fortunate his begetter is simply a amended personification than Ole. As a father, you ever person to provender your kids, moreover if you person to steal."

"I retrieve that one," shrugs Solskjaer. "You look aft your ain team.

"He has each nan charisma of people and I don't deliberation immoderate of america alteration a batch erstwhile we person travel this far.

"It will beryllium bully to spot him again and hopefully nan headlines will beryllium astir nan squad and nan shot that is played and thing else."

Besiktas hit Galatasaray connected 29 March but person won conscionable erstwhile successful 4 games since.

Solskjaer knows nan ambiance astatine nan Sukru Saracoglu stadium will beryllium achromatic hot.

"I saw from Gala, erstwhile you are astatine location and winning these games location is thing better," he says.

"If you are astatine location and you don't win, location is thing worse.

"Football is decided by moments. You spot past nighttime [Thursday], Athletic had 2 aliases 3 monolithic chances and Victor saves 1 connected nan extremity line. Then it each changes.

"The margins betwixt winning and losing successful shot are truthful close. It is amended to beryllium fortunate than bully sometimes.

"Hopefully, it will beryllium 1 of Jose's bad nights."