Eyebrows were raised when former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was spotted at a Wolves match just a day before the sacking of their manager, Gary O'Neil. Solskjaer, who has been out of management since his departure from United in November 2021, watched as Wolves suffered a 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town from the stands at Molineux.
This loss leaves Wolves languishing in 19th place in the Premier League, having lost their last four matches. Despite receiving the backing of Wolves chairman Jeff Shi on Friday, O'Neil, the ex-West Ham midfielder, was dismissed by the struggling club on Sunday morning.
Solskjaer's presence at Molineux led some fans to speculate that he might be in line to replace O'Neil. However, it appears there was another reason for the Norwegian's visit to the West Midlands - it was actually related to Ipswich.
The real motive behind Solskjaer's trip was to reconnect with Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna and assistant manager Martyn Pert, both of whom were part of his coaching team at United. Before the match, Solskjaer and McKenna were seen sharing a warm embrace.
Another factor contributing to Solskjaer's visit was his 16 year old son, Elijah, who is an Ipswich supporter. This is likely due to Ipswich playing a match in Solskjaer's hometown of Kristiansund during their 1970s heyday, resulting in a significant number of Ipswich fans in Norway.
Ex-Manchester United boss Solskjaer has hinted he could be tempted back into management for the right international role, despite rejecting overtures from Norwegian side Molde and turning down the Denmark job earlier this year.
The 51 year old expressed his national pride and potential interest in a future position during an event last September: "I am a proud Norwegian," he declared, showing potential interest in taking over the Norway team if it becomes available, during the QandA at the Oslo Business Forum when questioned about leading the national side.
"If the question comes up, when Stale finds out that he doesn't want it anymore, I'm happy to enter into a conversation."
Continuing his reflection on management prospects, Solskjaer shared with NRK's podcast, Bakrommet, that any new opportunity would need to spark his excitement, and reassured fans of his wellbeing away from the touchline: "It must be something exciting enough, together with the right people. But I feel so well now that there must be something that triggers me enough for me to choose to travel from Nordmore [in Norway]."
Emphasising his preference for geographical convenience, he said: "I think that a national team could suit me, but then it can't be on the other side of the globe.
"I had two options, but it would have taken half a day to travel, and there is a time difference in the picture, so I opted out. Even if I could then take part in the championship."
