Sir Alex Ferguson once raved about manager who’s in strong contention to be next West Brom boss
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is one of the managers linked with replacing Ryan Mason at West Brom.
Mason is under huge pressure to get the Baggies back in the Premier League, but a poor run of results has left them in 16th place, eight points adrift of the playoffs.
West Brom’s 2-1 loss to Bristol City on Friday has made matters exponentially worse, and supporters have had enough of his turgid style of football.
Michael Carrick and Carlos Corberan are in contention to replace Mason, according to the bookmakers, while Gary O’Neil and Russell Martin are listed as outsiders.
Solskjaer is among the favourites to join West Brom, and Sir Alex Ferguson has been more than complimentary about what he’s done in the past in charge of Manchester United.
Sir Alex Ferguson has huge praise for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The Norwegian played under Ferguson at Man United for 11 years, and scored the infamous 1999 Champions League-winning goal against Bayern Munich, before he followed his mentor’s footsteps and went on to manage the Red Devils.
Solskjaer is the third-favourite to become the next West Brom manager, with bookmakers giving him 6/1 odds.
Only Michael Carrick (5/2) and Carlos Corberan (5/1) have been given a higher chance.
The former Man United striker led the Red Devils to a second-placed finish in the top flight in 2020-21, achieving their joint-highest Premier League finish since Ferguson won the title in his final year in 2013.
He has also managed Molde, Cardiff City and Besiktas, although has failed to win a major trophy since 2013.
| Stat | Solskjaer |
| Games managed | 471 |
| Wins | 250 |
| Draws | 94 |
| Losses | 127 |
| Games managed | 53.08 |
In 2021, Ferguson was impressed with Solskjaer’s achievements at Man United and was impressed with how he let young players develop.
In an interview with the BBC, he said: “He had a will that he wanted to be a manager, and at a club like Manchester United, it’s a result industry, without question.
“If you don’t get results, there’s questions to be asked. He is getting the results; he really has done very well.
“And what is really important for this club is to introduce young people, and he’s given young players a chance.”
For Solskjaer to get such praise from one of the greatest managers of all time is incredibly encouraging, and several West Brom players could thrive under his stewardship.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would get the best out of Isaac Price and Samuel Iling-Junior
At Man United, Solskjaer oversaw the development of Marcus Rashford and turned him into one of the most devastating wingers in Europe.
Samuel-Iling Junior has been disappointing in a West Brom shirt, but his qualities resemble those of Rashford when he burst onto the scene.
The Aston Villa loanee has scored just one goal this season, and his potential is clearly being wasted under Mason.
As for Isaac Price, his form has gone completely downhill after a promising start to the season, and he has drawn a lot of criticism from fans for some of his recent performances.
There’s clearly a lot more the Northern Ireland international can do to step up his performances, and Mason isn’t getting it out of him at the minute.
Alfie Gilchrist and Josh Griffiths could also benefit from Solskjaer’s appointment, and the mood around The Hawthorns would certainly improve if the Baggies manage to pull off an unbelievable coup.
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