Ole Gunnar Solskjaer proving himself at Besiktas, boasts impressive record after seven games

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Besiktas.

Manchester United will forever hold Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in high regard – not just as a Treble-winning player but also as an honourable coach.

It didn’t work out for him at Old Trafford as a manager in terms of trophies but he came close, most notably in the Europa League, losing to Villarreal on penalties in the 2021 final.

Several bad decisions went against him and the job got too big.

Some United fans will still argue it was the most enjoyable period of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson chapter in United’s history. Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Erik ten Hag all won more trophies than Solskjaer, but the Norwegian delivered a degree of happiness on and off the pitch. It was an enjoyable period following the Reds.

Solskjaer has been at Besiktas for a month since replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst in January, making his return to management after over three years.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer proving himself at Besiktas

Prior to Solskjaer’s arrival, Besikas found themselves sixth in Super Lig, outside of the qualifying spots for the Europa League group phase.

Friday night’s 3-1 win over Eyüpspor means Besiktas moves above them to fourth place.

That means Solskjaer’s record in Turkey now stands at five wins, one draw and one defeat.

It’s a great tally for his first seven games in a new country where he doesn’t talk the language and, to make matters worse, he discovered the club did not have an established scouting department when he arrived.

The former United manager is in the process of transforming the Turkish club and he has an exciting squad to work with for the remainder of the season.

It’s great to finally see Solskjaer back working and proving to be a success.

What’s next for Solskjaer?

Besiktas take on Antalyaspor in the group stage of the Turkish Cup on Tuesday.

Solskjaer’s side are back in Super Lig action the follow Saturday when they face 17^th place Kayserispor at home.

These are relatively easy fixtures for Besiktas, now that they’ve been able to turn things around under Solskjaer.

It bodes well that Solskjaer is excited by the prospect of his improving Besiktas side.

Speaking live to beIN Sports after beating Eyüpspor, Solskjaer said: “Besiktas has very good players. The important thing was the mentality. Besiktas has changed many presidents and coaches in recent years. We need stability now.

“We need to fix things in the long term. I am a coach who likes stability. The president is at the same point as me. The messages we gave to the players were simple.

“Of course, we made tactical changes. We had to show that we believe in the players. I believe in them. We are showing them the way and what to do.

“All the employees are here for a purpose and our goal is to participate in the European Cups this season. All the employees in the club, everyone is very positive. The human capital in the club impressed me a lot. Everyone is very positive and positive. All the employees give us good energy. Everyone is honest and open.

“Beşiktaş is a very big community and the fans have great expectations. We will give everything and fight until the end. This is what is important for the Beşiktaş community. The best 11 players do not always bring success. The important thing is to create team bond. We are progressing this little by little. It will get better.”

Meanwhile at United, Ruben Amorim has been unable to provide the same new manager bounce since moving to the Premier League from Sporting CP.