The revisionism currently being done by many Manchester United fans into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's time in charge of the club is perhaps an accurate reflection on how difficult a situation the club find themselves in.
Though many pundits slammed Solskjaer, particularly during his challenging final months in charge, he led United to back-to-back top-four finishes and multiple strong cup runs - something which his successor Erik Ten Hag has struggled to do.
Solskjaer departed under a cloud in November 2021, with United coming off the back of heavy defeats to Liverpool, Manchester City and Watford. He has largely steered clear of Manchester since his sacking but, this week, he made his first major UK media appearance since that departure, appearing on the Overlap's 'Stick to Football' podcast in association with SkyBet.
Former Manchester United teammates Gary Neville and Roy Keane were part of the panel, as well as Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City legends Jamie Carragher, Ian Wright, and Jill Scott.
Solskjaer reflected on the manner of his departure from United - and revealed the lengths that Keane went to to check in on his old friend during a particularly tough spell in the intervening months.
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Roy Keane's Solskjaer story is a true mark of the man
Solskjaer has been out of work since his 2021 exit from United and has endured some tough times reflecting on his missed opportunity as manager of the club.
Roy Keane revealed on this week's 'Stick to Football' that he took the long drive to Solskjaer's home town of Kristiansund to be with his former teammate during a particularly challenging period:
I came to visit you last year, didn't I? Drove eight hours to see you.
We fancied a trip. He was feeling a bit low, obviously I wanted to cheer him up. So, yeah, I drove up and it was lovely. Beautiful [drive].
We had a lovely few days.
Roy Keane drove 8 hours to cheer up Ole when he was feeling down last year. Proper captain even all these years later ❤pic.twitter.com/xPVgtjw5Ha
— UnitedReds (@UnitedRedscom) March 6, 2024
Solskjaer went on to emphasise how much effort Keane had undertaken to make the trip to his home town in the north of Norway:
He has been on about it for years and years, coming over.
What you need to know is that getting to Kristiansund is not the easiest. I knew he wasn't going to come, no chance he's coming. He flew to Oslo, and I asked him, 'do you want me to help you to organise the next bit?'
He said, 'no, no, no, it's fine, I'll drive.' No chance, he won't drive.
Monday morning, about seven o'clock, he texted, 'I'm on my way.' Oh, for fuck sake! [The drive is] eight or nine hours.
Keane joked that his "first wife" was with him on the journey (the Corkman has been happily married for 20+ years), before Gary Neville asked if Solskjaer had invited him to stay in his home.
He recommended a few hotels, you know what I mean?
Solskjaer went on to confirm that Keane had not only spent a few days with him in Norway, but that his former captain had joined him at a training session for the local club's under-14s team, for which Solskjaer is a coach. Keane obliged with pictures for the players on the team, and spent the afternoon with Solskjaer at the training pitch.
The story, as well as Keane and Solskjaer's rapport throughout the programme, shows the closeness of the pair's friendship.
Though Keane has earned a reputation over the years as a stern and hardened personality, the story of his visit to Kristiansund also shows a different side to the Corkman.
Even almost 20 years after his retirement as a player, Keane still looks out for those who he was a teammate to - something which was also shown on a previous episode of The Overlap, when he was revealed to have expressed concerned about Gary Neville's wellbeing. Keane's concern for Neville even led to the Englishman pondering major lifestyle changes.
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Reflecting on his final months as Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said that his biggest regret was the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo in August 2021. Though Solskjaer said that he was sure it was the right decision to make then, he admitted that hindsight had proven it would have been better for both parties if the Portuguese striker had not returned to Old Trafford.
The return of Ronaldo is often credited with accelerating Solskjaer's departure as manager, and the Norwegian did nothing to quell such suggestions on this week's podcast.
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