Taking your work home with you, Ole? Under-pressure Manchester United boss Solskjaer ‘applies to Cheshire council to have five-a-side football pitch built next to his £4m mansion’
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to build a five-a-side football pitch at his home
- Manchester United boss has reportedly applied to Cheshire council to start work
- His application is for an astro turf pitch in the back garden along with a fence
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reportedly applied to the local council for permission to build a five-a-side football pitch on the grounds of his Cheshire mansion.
According to The Sun, the Manchester United boss has submitted his application and is now waiting for a reply on whether he can push forward with his plans.
The report suggests that Solskjaer wants to put an astro turf pitch in his back garden, which will then be surrounded by a two-metre-high fence.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to build a five-a-side football pitch at his Cheshire mansion
The £4million mansion – which was rented out to Virgil van Dijk before Solskjaer returned to England in 2018 – was built by Solskjaer in 2007, but he and his family only moved into it last year after he returned to Norway to take charge of Molde following his retirement as a player.
The 3.4 acre property also includes a media room, a utility room, a store room/AV room, a first floor study area, a master bedroom with a dressing room and en-suite bathroom, four further bedrooms, a garage, a brick outbuilding with a pool room, a dark room and a gym.
In addition to the extensive rear garden, there is also a front paddock with stables.
Solskjaer’s desire to continue work on his mansion comes as a small statement on intent that he intends on staying put in the north west, after being given the backing from United.
Solskjaer rented out his £4million mansion to Virgil van Dijk before he returned to England
The 47-year-old has come under increasing pressure in recent weeks following the club’s indifferent start to the campaign.
United have taken just 10 points and suffered three defeats from their opening seven Premier League fixtures and sit in 14th in the table ahead of the resumption of action next weekend.
The club’s erratic form has led to growing speculation that former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino could be set to take over at Old Trafford, although United returned to winning ways before the current international break.
However, United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward gave the Norwegian boss the board’s full backing and will continue to support the ‘positive path’ they are on under Solskjaer.
‘While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause significant disruption, we are optimistic that the recovery and normalisation phase is gradually coming into view,’ Woodward said.
Ed Woodward has publicly backed Solskjaer despite United’s indifferent start to the season
‘The club’s resilience and our strong commercial business continue to provide a solid foundation and gives us confidence in our long-term outlook beyond the pandemic, both on and off the pitch.
‘We recognise that not all football clubs are in as robust of a financial position and that the Premier League has a responsibility to support the wider English football pyramid.
‘We will continue to push for this support, both through emergency assistance during the pandemic, and through longer-term reforms to ensure that the success of the Premier League is reinforced for the benefit of the national game as a whole.
‘On the pitch, while there is still hard work ahead to achieve greater consistency, we remain absolutely committed to the positive path we are on under Ole as the team continues to develop.
Pressure was heaped on Solskjaer after Man United suffered two consecutive defeats
‘We miss playing in front of our fans and we are working hard together with our governing bodies and relevant authorities to ensure that fans can safely return as soon as possible.
‘Finally, I would like to stress our steadfast commitment to increasing equality, diversity and inclusion across our club and the game as a whole. To that end, we were pleased to be among the first clubs to sign up to the FA Football Leadership Diversity Code.
‘Football has made good progress in this area but there is much more work to do and Manchester United is determined to be at the forefront of those efforts.’
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