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Things could have been very different for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer if it wasn't for an intervention at the eleventh hour
If it wasn't for an important intervention in 1998 then Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would have been playing for Tottenham Hotspur.
As it happened, the Norwegian would remain at Manchester United and cement himself into the club's history after scoring the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final. That was, of course, the year that Sir Alex Ferguson's side secured a historic treble in one of the most memorable seasons in English football history.
Solskjaer would remain with United until 2007 when he retired at the age of 34, finishing his career at Old Trafford. However, rewind the clock to nine years prior and Solskjaer had to weigh up his options. Spurs had agreed the deal with United, but Sir Alex threw in a curveball at the eleventh hour.
"Everything was agreed. The two clubs had signed and were just waiting for me. It was that close," Solskjaer said in an interview in November 2010.
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"The gaffer called me into his office and closed the door. He said the conversation was just going to be between the two of us. He told me I would be a big part of his squad and he didn't want me to go.
"If he had said all the best in your career, I would have gone. But he wanted me to stay and so I signed. Hopefully I paid back the £5.5million that had been agreed with Spurs. But it is strange now to look at that fax."
United chief executive Martin Edwards and Tottenham chairman Sir Alan Sugar had both signed that fax to confirm the deal. It only needed Solskjaer's signature, but Fergie had other ideas.
From almost leaving the club, 12 months later he would become part of one of football's most iconic moments. The Norwegian netted against Bayern Munich in stunning circumstances.
His legendary status from that night in '99 was put to the test when he took on the role of caretaker manager in 2018 after the Red Devils had parted with Jose Mourinho.
He would go on to sign a permanent deal with the club in 2019 but was sacked in 2021 after a 4-1 defeat to Watford. Coincidentally, Michael Carrick, who is the current caretaker manager at United, took over as interim boss when Solskjaer left.
United wrote at the time: "It is with regret that we have reached this difficult decision. While the past few weeks have been disappointing, they should not obscure all the work he has done over the past three years to rebuild the foundations for long-term success. Ole leaves with our sincerest thanks for his tireless efforts as manager and our very best wishes for the future."
The two teams will do battle in Saturday's lunchtime kick-off in the Premier League, with Thomas Frank heading to Old Trafford with pressure to get a result for his struggling side.
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