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HardyOle Gunnar Solskjaer set to announce retirement
August 28th 2007 03:12
Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to announce his retirement from football today at the age of 34.
The UK's The Sun newspaper has reported that the Norwegian has finally given in to the persistent knee problems he has suffered since 2003.
Affectionately named the "Baby-faced assassin" by the press and United fans alike, the striker epitomised the role of "super-sub" - by coming off the bench to rescue his beloved United side many times.
None more so than in the Champions League final of 1999 when he scored the winner with effectively the last kick of the game thus writing himself in Manchester United history.
Playing in an era when footballers collected super big pay cheques, Solskjaer avoided the big ego that came almost hand-in-hand with the money and adulation by keeping his private life exactly that - private.
He was also the consummate professional and never moaned nor complained about his place in the United team and squad, despite starting many games on the bench. When called upon, he never failed to deliver and that is the reason why he has been a mainstay in Ferguson's team for over 10 years.
Making a total of 235 appearances for the Red Devils and scoring 92 goals, these statistics would have been even more impressive had he not experienced persistent knee problems since 2003.
His injury nightmare first arose in 2003 when a recurring knee problem restricted his first-team appearances but worse was to come in season 2004-05.
Solksjaer celebrates after scoring THAT goal
After undergoing intensive knee operations, he was forced to sit out the entire season which coincided with Chelsea's dominance in the Premier League that saw United endure a barren spell when it came to trophies.
Solskjaer finally recovered well enough for regular football last season and helped the club win the Premiership with 30 appearances and 11 goals - making him the club's third highest scorer for the season.
His injury nightmare returned in June 2007 when he began to feel discomfort in the same problematic knee whilst in Norway. After undergoing another knee operation, Solskjaer failed to recover well enough to cope with the demands of top-flight football.
He is scheduled to officially announce his retirement later today.
[Source: TheSun]
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