Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could “sign a contract” to return to Old Trafford as early as Friday, according to reports in the Norwegian media.

VG believe that the Red Devils have chosen to rehire the 52-year-old on an interim basis until the end of the season:

“According to VG’s information, work is now underway to sign a contract for Solskjær next Friday.”

It remains to be seen if VG‘s information is accurate but fans on X have already had their say on the rumours that Solskjaer could return:

This is total nonsense, bringing back a man who has failed here once… I guess he had to do it twice..

— 👀 (@UTD_slim) January 7, 2026

What about Carrick??

— taarabtregenn (@Moroccanfoott) January 7, 2026

3 step back

— Takalani Buccaneer & Protea 🏏🏴‍☠️ (@MrTdip) January 7, 2026

I'm tired of this club

— Blockchain Neyo – Hiring – Web3 DeFi NFT Metaverse (@BlockchainNeyo) January 7, 2026

Bad decision 😕

— Phill M (@moorcraft_phill) January 7, 2026

Why is Solskjaer under consideration?

CEO Omar Berrada and Director of Football Jason Wilcox are reluctant to appoint another permanent manager midseason, after the difficulities that Ruben Amorim encountered.

Furthermore, several managers could become available after the World Cup, so it is felt that hiring someone as interim until the end of the campaign is the way to go.

Along with Solskjaer, it is believed that caretaker Darren Fletcher and another former player/caretaker manager Michael Carrick have also been considered as short-term appointments.

Who is the bookies favourite for the Man Utd job?

Solskjaer is currently odds-on at the bookmakers, which is not surprising considering the information coming out of Norway.

Beyond that, though, the odds are all over the place. It seems the club have yet to really formulate a list of options beyond the interim appointment.

It should be emphasised, though, that Solskjaer is very unlikely to stay beyond the summer, even if he does return to the club over the coming days.

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