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Football

21st Nov 2021

Gary Neville pays tribute to Ole Gunnar Solskjær following departure

Danny Jones

His former colleague thanked him for his time at the helm

Gary Neville has paid tribute to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer following his departure as Manchester United manager.

Neville, who played alongside the Norweigan for 11 years at the club, tweeted out an impassioned response to the sacking, admitting that while the last two months were “tough”, his overall service to the club was positive.

As you can see, beyond just thanking him for service, Neville credited his friend and former colleague for “restoring some soul” to the club after what has been a long and turbulent period post-Sir Alex Ferguson.

Solskjaer’s job had been uncertain for some time, having crushing defeats to both Liverpool and Manchester City, but the embarrassing 4-1 defeat to 16th-place Watford was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Neville has long defended Ole, recently revealing a “heartbreaking text” he sent to him and responding defiantly after fans and sections of the media urged him to call for his sacking as Rio Ferdinand had intimated.

Neville has said on multiple occasions that he “cringes” when he sees pundits and ex-players call for managers to be sacked; friendship aside, he clearly has sympathy in his short time as a manager as well.

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