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Football

21st Nov 2021

Beckham leads tributes as current and former United players pay tribute to Solskjaer

Daniel Brown

Tributes to Solskjaer have poured in following his dismissal

Manchester United legend David Beckham has joined a number of current and former Red Devils players in paying tribute to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following the Norwegian’s dismissal on Sunday.

Solskjaer’s time at the helm came to an end after United’s 4-1 hammering against Watford on Saturday.

The defeat at Vicarage Road left United with just one win in their last seven Premier League games and saw them drop to seventh in the table.

The 48-year-old has been under immense pressure in recent weeks, with defeats against rivals Manchester City and Liverpool – as well as the loss to relegation-threatened Watford at the weekend – proving too costly for the manager.

His position at the Old Trafford helm has been frequently questioned in the past few months, with disappointing results and underwhelming performances leading to a number of ex-teammates calling for his sacking.

Last week, former United defender Rio Ferdinand said that it might be time for the Norwegian to leave the club, adding he “would leave with his head held high”.

Ferdinand’s comments were met with contrasting views from Gary Neville, who stated that he would ‘never’ call for Solskjaer to be sacked.

However, after the Red Devils confirmed that the Norwegian – who scored over 350 goals for United during his playing career – had been dismissed from his role, both former and current players were quick to pay tribute to Solskjaer.

Neville took to Twitter to thank his former team-mate for ‘restoring soul into the club’, stating: “Thank you Ole. You did us proud . The last two months were tough but before that you restored some soul into the club.”

Ex-United left-back Patrice Evra posted a tribute on Instagram, suggesting that people are quick to forgot everything he has done for the club.

He said: “Thank you my friend for making us believe again in @manchesterunited . Unfortunately when you don’t get the results people forget what you done for this club but to all the players I’m coming for you now. See you against Arsenal… #ilovethisgame #manutd”.

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Neville’s brother – Philip – also took to Instagram to thank the Norwegian for his contribution to United, posting a photo of Solskjaer accompanied by a red heart.

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While Beckham didn’t post about the former striker on his personal social media accounts, he did comment on United’s Instagram post announcing the dismal of the manager, saying: “The most gracious man in the room… @manchesterunited”.

Ander Herrera – who left Old Trafford to join French giants PSG in July 2019 – uploaded an image of himself and Solskjaer to his Instagram story.

He captioned the post: “One of the best people I have met in football. All the best Ole”.

As well as former players, a number of the current United squad also took to social media to pay tribute to the manager.

Marcus Rashford, who played in the weekend’s defeat to Watford, posted a photo of him and Solskjaer, with the caption: “Club legend”, alongside a red heart. 

David de Gea and club-captain Harry Maguire also uploaded tributes, with the Spaniard writing: “You always gave everything and everyone knows you are a legend at @ManUtd”.

The England defender captioned his post: “You signed me for the best club in the world and gave me the biggest honour in football. Huge respect and forever grateful. Thankyou for everything boss. Legend”.

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Paul Pogba was also keen to thank Solskjaer for everything he had done during his time at the helm, posting a story on Instagram.

He stated: “All the best, boss! Thanks for all the good memories”.

United confirmed that first-team coach Michael Carrick would be taking charge of the club on a temporary basis, with this first test coming against Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday.

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