Ole Gunnar Solskjaer eyeing “underwhelming” ex-Manchester United player as first Besiktas transfer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has taken charge of his first managerial job since departing Manchester United after being announced as Besiktas boss this week.

Solskjaer, 51, spent three years as Manchester United manager between 2018 and 2021 after having an incredible career as a player at Old Trafford.

The Norwegian led the team to back-to-back top three Premier League finishes in his first two full seasons as manager but was eventually dismissed after a poor start to the 2021/22 campaign.

Since leaving four years ago, Solskjaer has been linked with several managerial roles but chose to wait for a project that truly excited him, which has finally come.

On Friday afternoon, Turkish side Besiktas announced Solskjaer as their new manager following the dismissal of Giovanni van Bronckhorst in December.

The former United boss is already eyeing the January transfer market as an opportunity to improve his new squad.

Solskjaer eyeing ex-United player as first Besiktas signing

It has been reported by MailSport that Solskjaer is targeting former Red Tom Lawrence to become one of his first signings at Besiktas.

Lawrence, 31, came through the Academy at Old Trafford and would have been coached by Solskjaer in the youth teams.

After a series of loans, the midfielder joined Leicester City in the summer of 2014 but still struggled to break into the first-team at the King Power Stadium and ended up leaving in 2017 for Derby County.

He made 185 appearances for The Rams across a five-year period and earned a move to Scottish outfit Rangers in 2022.

Since moving to the Ibrox, Lawrence has struggled with injuries and that has impacted his importance to the team, with just 14 starts so far this season.

Fans have described his time in Scotland as “very underwhelming” but Solskjaer will be hoping that he can help reignite Lawrence’s career in Turkey.

Read More: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer explains two reasons why he would’ve “loved” to work with Man United star

However, the aforementioned report added that there is competition for the 31-year-old’s signature from Premier League side Ipswich Town.

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