Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes his role as Besiktas head coach has similar characteristics to the job he held at Manchester United.
Solskjaer was appointed as the Turkish club's new manager this weekend, signing a contract that runs until the end of next season, with an option for a further year.
This is the Norwegian's first managerial role since being sacked by United in November 2021, despite winning 91 of his 168 games in all competitions.
And the 51-year-old believes the task ahead is similar to the one he took on in 2018.
“This project seems a bit like Manchester United to me. We came sixth, then we came third and then second. And this is going step by step,” said Solskjaer.
And of course we are here to win, so hopefully we can make it faster. But we have to be realistic.
“And yes, I had a lot of offers, but like I said before, it had to be the right offer that was worth taking away from my perfect life.”
Official statement | Welcome to Beşiktaş, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer!
We have signed a contract with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Head Coach until the end of the 2025-2026 season, with an option for an additional year for the 2026-2027 season.
We believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will make… pic.twitter.com/JmrmBarM5w
— The Black Eagles (@BesiktasEnglish) January 18, 2025
Besiktas, who have won the Turkish Super Lig title 16 times, are currently sixth in the standings and have been without a permanent head coach since Giovanni van Bronckhorst left in November.
Solskjaer has been out of charge for more than three years, but after discussions with the hierarchy at Besiktas, he concluded that this role was the right one to return to.
“You have to feel that heartbeat again, because you're asking, 'Do you have the energy?' and the project that the president and the board talked to me about was the right thing I needed right now,” he added.
“I've been following United (since I left) and it's difficult when things go wrong. You just have to turn the boat around, and hopefully we can turn the boat around quickly here.”
Solskjaer oversaw 168 games and was in charge of United in all competitions, winning 91 of them and achieving a winning percentage of 54.17%. In the Premier League he averaged 1.81 points per game.
His first match will be in the Europa League against Athletic Club, with the Turkish side currently 28th in the standings and one point away from the play-off positions.
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