Kieran McKenna shares Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's best trait when he was Man Utd manager

Kieran McKenna reflects on his favourite memory from his time working under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United, describing the club as a ‘pressure cooker’.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was Manchester United manager for just under three years, including an initial period as caretaker manager before earning a permanent appointment after giving the team a lift following José Mourinho’s dismissal.

Returning to the club as a legend, having scored the goal to complete the Treble in 1999, Solskjaer was credited with bringing back a more positive atmosphere. He achieved back-to-back top-four finishes in the Premier League, but a lack of silverware proved problematic for the Norwegian coach.

United reached four semi-finals during Solskjaer’s reign and one major final, but none of them ended with a trophy lift. The loss to Villarreal in the 2021 Europa League final was the closest he came, and losing in Gdansk that night was a huge blow.

Kieran McKenna hails Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s best coaching trait

Ruben Amorim is currently in the hot seat at Old Trafford, experiencing lots of pressure since arriving at the club 11 months ago.

The pressure has eased in recent weeks, with United on a winning run of three matches for the first time since Amorim joined from Sporting CP.

Meanwhile, Solskjaer is out of work after being sacked by Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas in August.

Only time will tell if the 52-year-old will return to the dugout, but many will argue that he still has a lot to offer the game as a coach.

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Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna owes a lot to Solskjaer after the experience he gained working under the Norwegian at United.

Speaking to The Sun, McKenna revealed his favourite memory with Solskjaer came when United beat Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

McKenna also hailed Solskjaer for how he dealt with the pressure of managing a football giant, describing it as one of football’s biggest ‘pressure cookers’, to protect not only his players but coaching staff.

“Probably broader speaking, greatest memory of working for him is just, I think just how level he managed to stay with his staff,” McKenna said.

“You know, there’s not many bigger pressure cookers than that club and being a manager of that club and, especially when you’re so front facing as he is and a big name and person in the history of the club.

“Whether we were on really good runs or not so good runs – a win or not win on a weekend – he was just really consistent in terms of how he came in, treated staff. Always kept a positive attitude, always supported the players and his staff. That’s something I took a lot from and try to and stick to myself in the difficult moments in the job, or even in the good moments to stay level.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s record away run at Man Utd

One of the most notable achievements of Solskjaer’s tenure was United’s record-breaking unbeaten run away from home in the Premier League.

The run lasted 29 games without a defeat, setting a record for the longest-ever unbeaten away run in the top flight.

It began with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and ended with a 4-2 defeat to Leicester City at the King Power Stadium.

United won 18 of the 29 games in question.

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