Yahoo News Gary Neville thought Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had 'won a competition' on Old Trafford arrival
Gary Neville has revealed he thought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must have been a fan who had won a competition upon his arrival at Manchester United.
The Norwegian – who scored United's famous Champions League Final winner in 1999 – arrived at Old Trafford in 1996, with Neville left bemused by his youthful appearance.
However, Solskjaer eventually went down as a club legend after an 11-year spell that saw him score 126 goals in 366 appearances.
The former striker is now, of course, the man in charge at Old Trafford, where he is looking to replicate his success as a player.
Neville, speaking on the Sky Sports Football podcast, recalled the first time he set eyes on the soon-to-be club hero.
“The one that stands out for me is the first time Ole ever walked into the changing room at The Cliff in 96,” Neville said.
“He walked in with what I can only describe as like a jumper from the 1970s in Yorkshire. Woollen, bobbly, you’re thinking, what’s this?
“Honestly, no word of a lie, I genuinely thought he must’ve won a competition as a fan from Norway or something.
“He walked in, he looked about nine, he was that thin, he had this jumper on.”
Despite his perhaps less than inspiring first impression, Solskjaer quickly made his mark during United training, giving Neville the surprise of his career.
“Then after about a week in training, I remember we were playing a small-sided game, I’m thinking, ‘he’s a bit more clever than he looks',” he explained.
“I remember [Peter] Schmeichel hated it when a goal went through a defender’s legs, and Ole always used to get it through your legs and into the far corner.
“He was the biggest surprise to me in terms of someone who just did not look like he could form part of our squad.
“[Eric] Cantona was there. Schmeichel, [Roy] Keane. They were beasts. You saw this young lad coming in thinking, ‘there’s no way he can compete with this’, but he was absolutely fantastic, his technical ability was unbelievable.”
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