Ole Gunnar Solskjaer turned down Republic of Ireland job in January | OneFootball

Former Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, snubbed the chance to be the new boss of the Republic of Ireland national team back in January.

The Norwegian spent between 2018-2021 as manager of the Red Devils and enjoyed a rollercoaster of a time at Old Trafford.

The former striker is a legend of the club but could not translate his playing success to his management of the side.

The 51 year old was agonisingly close to winning the Europa League but lost the 2021 final to Villarreal on penalties, as David de Gea failed to convert United’s 11th spot kick.

He also achieved a couple of credible 3rd and 2nd placed finishes in 2020 and 2021 but as things often have for United managers, things went pear-shaped in his final season with a humbling 0-5 defeat at Old Trafford to arch-rivals Liverpool and he was sacked in November 2021 after a 4-1 loss at Watford.

Ever since, the Norwegian has been out of work and has claimed that he has turned down numerous offers to return to management, stating he is looking for the right role.

Therefore, it was a surprise when news broke yesterday that he was considered favourite to take the position of new head coach of the Republic of Ireland football team.

However, respected United journalist Andy Mitten, soon put to bed such rumours.

He claimed, “keep getting asked about the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for Republic of Ireland job story. Spoke to him. He has no idea where it came from. He has complete respect for the country and did speak briefly about the job in Jan but decided it wouldn’t be right for him”.

This allowed former Red Devil, John O’Shea to take on the role as interim coach of the country he represented 118 times, during two friendlies in March.

However, it has been reported that the former United defender will not be given the job on a permanent basis.

As for Solskjaer, the rejection of the Ireland job seems another missed opportunity. It was relayed here that the Norwegian had been talks with the Swedish FA over the position of head coach but once more, nothing seemed to come of it.

In addition, he was also briefly linked to the Besiktas job in December.

The former United number 20 certainly has the right to choose what job is best for him but the longer he stays out of football, the less relevant he will become.

It is hard to imagine that a Premier League side or even a club from La Liga, Bundesliga or Serie A would take him on when you consider the length of time he has been out of work.

One would imagine coaching international football at the likes of Sweden or the Republic of Ireland would have been a fine opportunity to return to the world of management. However, it is also possible that he really craves a club job back in England. Whether he gets it, is another matter entirely.

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