Lerner's private jet yesterday [Thursday] flew into Solskjaer's home town of Kristiansund to collect the 39-year-old and fly him to Birmingham to begin negotiations.
Solskjaer is currently manager of Molde, a club where he spent two years prior to joining Manchester United in 1996 with whom he made 366 appearances, scoring 126 goals in 11 seasons.
After two and a half years in charge of United's reserve team after retiring from playing in 2008, Solskjaer led Molde to their first Norwegian league title in 100 years last October at the end of his debut campaign in charge.
Solskjaer is seen as the young, progressive manager required by Lerner after first failing with Gerard Houllier and then McLeish in the wake of Martin O'Neill's departure in August 2010.
Solskjaer, however, is just one year into a four-year contract, and can look forward to Champions League football next season.
Another consideration for the man who earned the nickname of 'the baby-faced assassin' during his United days is his family of wife Silje and three children and whether to uproot them given they have only just settled in Norway.
However, the lure of Barclays Premier League football and going head to head with old mentor in Sir Alex Ferguson, as well as reviving Villa's hopes following a woeful season, is likely to prove irresistible.
Former Aston Villa striker John Carew believes Solskjaer is an ideal candidate to lead the midlands club out of the doldrums.
Carew, who spent four years with Villa, scoring 52 goals in 133 appearances, said: "This would be a fantastic job for Ole Gunnar to have.
"Villa are among the six, seven biggest clubs in England. They have fantastic fans and a fantastic stadium.
"Solskjaer is a big name in England. On top of that, he has the mentality and respect from players he needs to suceed."
Speaking to Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, Carew added: "Villa are also a club who, without doubt, love Norwegians and Scandinavians.
"I've received tweets from Villa fans today [Friday] who want Solskjaer as their new manager. I think Villa will work really well under his leadership.
"Everything suggests Solskjaer can have a great managerial career in England."
SOURCE:
http://ht.ly/1jRcgR
Content used in this not-for-profit blog remain the property of their respective owners.
No comments:
Post a Comment