Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was spotted visiting MLS side DC United’s training facility Tuesday, according to a report.
Solskjaer, who also played for Manchester United during his career, has been out of a job since leaving his role at Old Trafford in 2021.
The Norwegian was present at DC United‘s facilities in Leesburg, Virginia, Tuesday, accompanied by a pair of associates, according to The Athletic.
Current head coach Wayne Rooney, his staff and players were in Texas in preparation of the club’s fixture against Austin on Wednesday.
Solskjaer’s presence at the club’s facilities comes as the guaranteed portion of Rooney’s contract in the United States capital is set to expire at the end of the season, with a mutual option for 2024.
Former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was spotted visiting DC United
Current head coach Wayne Rooney’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season
Rooney and Solskjaer played alongside each other at Manchester United from 2004-07
The former Derby County boss revealed last month that he and DC United’s executives had yet to discuss his future.
‘I am slightly disappointed and frustrated that there has been no contact for two months,’ Rooney told the Washington Post’s Steven Goff in September.
‘We asked about a new deal. We can sit down and talk about it. We haven’t heard back. Either way, I can take whatever the situation is. I was hoping we would have, either way, at least spoken about it. That hasn’t been the case.’
Meanwhile, Solskjaer had said last month that he would be paying a visit to the East coast.
He told The Athletic that he was ‘going to the east coast of the United States in a few weeks to see Wayne Rooney and David Beckham, see a few games and see what’s what.’
However, it is believed that Solskjaer is not a in the running to replace Rooney, nor is he a candidate for DC United’s empty general Manager spot.
Solskjaer and Rooney played alongside each other at Manchester United for three years at the beginning of the latter’s on-field career and the tail end of the former’s.
They won a Premier League title during their time together at Old Trafford in the 2006-07 season.
Solskjaer has been out of a job since leaving his managerial role at Old Trafford in 2021
DC United is currently without a general manager after Lucy Rushton parted ways with the club at the end of the 2022 season.
The side is said to have contacted Orlando City for permission to interview its technical director Ricardo Moreira, according to The Athletic, but it is unknown if DC’s hunt has been successful.
In the absence of a GM, Rooney has had greater control of the club’s roster, while Dave Kasper, the club’s president of soccer operations and sporting director, has stepped in as a interim GM.
The reported added that the club feels a decision over Rooney’s future in DC should not be made without input from its future GM.
Under Rooney, DC United currently sits one spot outside the playoff berths behind Montreal on goal difference.
The former England legend took charge partway through the 2022 season and launched a rebuild in the offseason after Unite finished rock-bottom in MLS.
Rooney took charge partway through the 2022 season and launched a rebuild in the offseason
Rooney expressed his desire to stay with the club, despite being away from his family, also telling The Washington Post: ‘We asked to sit down and speak because planning for next season needs to go ahead. So we asked two months ago where everything was at, are we moving forward or not moving forward — if that’s the case from their point of view — and we haven’t heard back.
‘That’s frustrating because, either way, I’d rather know what’s the plan because we have to plan for next season. We need to do it earlier rather than later. The fact we haven’t heard back is probably signaling one thing, but I’m sure they’ll have their reasons for that. So I’ll wait and see.’
He is living in the United States without his wife Colleen and their four sons but Rooney insists it is manageable.
‘Of course, you miss the kids and you miss your wife, but it’s been as good as it can be,’ he said. ‘I’ve been settled here. The family has been settled at home. It hasn’t been an issue at all.’
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