Ethan Laird tribute to Solskjaer shows lasting impact United boss could have

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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure from Manchester United let the boss emotional in a rare exit interview.

In the interview Solskjaer spoke about his pride in helping the club’s academy along, during his time at the club.

Solskjaer said: “That’s Man United, that’s in the Man United DNA. We have to bring good people and good players through, and we’re good at it. We’ll see players coming through.”

During his time at the club, Solskjaer handed debuts to an impressive 17 Manchester United players.

While some of these players have since left the club, or are out on loan, each of them will never forget the moments Solskjaer called them up.

Ethan Laird’s tribute to Solskjaer summed up the lasting impact the manager has had on each of these players’ careers.

He was selected in the Europa League game against Astana, and then was called off the bench against AZ Alkmaar a fortnight later.

Brandon Williams also had an emotional message of thanks for the Norwegian.

Williams is currently out on loan at Norwich and Laird at Swansea.

Young signing Amad also paid tribute to Solskjaer. He is a player who made his debut last season after a move from Atalanta.

Amad’s message read, ‘Thank you for the opportunity you gave me, I wish you the best.”

With less intense demands, Solskjaer could have done more

While Solskjaer’s record of bringing through young players is undoubtedly excellent, it’s possible he could have done even more with these players.

The likes of Galbraith, Garner, Levitt, and Elanga are highly talented players who could have benefitted from a lot more opportunities than they have had.

But Solskjaer had a tricky task, of blending youth in with a demand for instant results at the top of the Premier League, and he did more than both David Moyes and Jose Mourinho in regards to youth.

When a team is competing at the top of the league, it is less easy to bring young players in, and Solskjaer often stayed loyal to his favourites, occasionally to his detriment.

What is clear, is that all these players won’t forget Solskjaer for the debuts he gave them.

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