Reflecting on his time managing Man Utd from 2018 to 2021 during a recent interview with BBC Sport, Solskjaer recalled a story involving Ancelotti, which he presented as a prime example of the immense pressure that comes with being the head coach at Old Trafford.

"I recall a match against Everton," Solskjaer began. "I was standing in my technical area when Ancelotti walked over, almost entirely into my space. The fourth official prompted him, 'Carlo, you need to go back to your area, or do you want to replace Ole as Man Utd manager?' And he replied, 'No, forget it, no way, the pressure there is huge. That job is incredibly stressful'."

Despite the immense pressure, the Norwegian manager expressed no regrets about his tenure at Man Utd. In fact, Solskjaer remains the manager who delivered one of the most positive periods for the Old Trafford club in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era. He was dismissed in november 2021, however, when the team dropped to seventh in the Premier League after a string of poor performances.

"Pressure is a privilege, Carlo himself once said that, and I also felt honored to be the manager of Man Utd," the 52-year-old coach shared. "But of course, you are the public face for everyone, as well as everything associated with Man United. That pressure is a privilege because I was allowed to do things and handle them my way. This was also thanks to the excellent team of colleagues I had, along with a truly positive environment both inside and outside the club at that time."

"Ultimately, however, results are what matter most. Unfortunately, we endured 6 very poor weeks of play, and that period of struggle was too long for a club like Man Utd," Solskjaer implicitly acknowledged that his dismissal was a reasonable decision by the board.

Solskjaer (right) shakes hands with Ancelotti when both were working in the Premier League.

A legend at Man Utd during his 11 years as a player, Solskjaer, as manager, guided the "Red Devils" to third and second place finishes in the Premier League in his two initial seasons, winning 91 out of 168 matches, though without securing any trophies. Since Solskjaer's departure, Man Utd has only finished in the top 5 once in the last 4 seasons.

When asked if he felt he was underrated, Solskjaer responded, "It's not about whether I receive recognition or not. In reality, it was the worst time to be the manager of Man Utd. You had to face Jurgen Klopp with his peak Liverpool, and Pep Guardiola with a formidable Man City. They were two excellent managers in the world at that time, and arguably also possessed two best teams on the planet. Yet, we still managed to secure second and third place finishes. With the squad we had then, we built good foundations but couldn't take that next step."

Hoang Thong (according to *BBC Sport*)