Man Utd’s ‘petty’ players would refuse to be captain for certain games, Solskjaer reveals

During Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time as Manchester United manager, he revealed that some players declined captaincy opportunities.

Former Man Utd manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer offered players the armband who turned it down (Image: Getty Images)

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has implied that some of his players are “petty” and would decline to captain the team in specific matches.

The legendary Red Devils manager is just the latest in a long line of unsuccessful attempts by Old Trafford hopefuls since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure. At the beginning of the 2021–22 season, his tenure as manager took a sharp turn after a promising beginning.

Even though Solskjaer was the one who took the most heat at the time, it didn’t help that some of his teammates declined to wear the armband when he asked them to. “No one said ‘no’ to being the club captain, it was just for certain games,” he revealed on the Stick to Football podcast.

However, they sent others to me to say it since they were too embarrassed to do it themselves. That was disheartening. Gen Z is a distinct generation. It’s unimportant and demonstrates a lack of drive.

Gary Neville, his former teammate and host, was shocked by that comment. The question he posed was this: “What kind of mental condition are they in to actually decline one of the greatest accolades you could have?” He said, looking concerned for the recipients.

“I don’t see it as weakness; they must be going through a tough time to be avoiding responsibility.”

The cowardice of some players would even extend to their media duties, as Solskjaer explained. Only a handful of faces would be facing the music. “Even though we asked each player three questions before the game, many of them declined to participate,” he went on to say.

Everyone knew who to call on: Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, David de Gea, and Luke Shaw. No one else wanted to do it because they were afraid of the questions.

Among Solskjaer’s many shocking comments made during his podcast appearance were revelations about the number of times United failed to sign Erling Haaland and the fact that several players were visibly upset during halftime of his last game in charge.