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Andrew Cesare Richardson

Turkish football will see a battle of two former Manchester United managers after Besiktas announced Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as their new boss.
It means the Norwegian will face Old Trafford predecessor Jose Mourinho, who is in the dugout at Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce.
Mourinho joined Fener at the start of the campaign but stumbled early on as his side failed to make it past the third Uefa Champions League qualifying round, where they were eliminated by French side Lille.
Furthermore, Galatasaray, their eternal rivals to form the Intercontinental derby, are runaway leaders, with an eight-point lead over Mourinho’s side.
It has been an even worse campaign for Besiktas, with Solskjaer joining a team fifth in the standings and 20 points off top spot.

The 51-year-old has been out of work since leaving his role as United boss in November 2021.
He failed to win a trophy during his three years in charge at Old Trafford, but did reach the 2021 Uefa Europa League final and led the club to a second-place finish in the English Premier League in 2020-21, which included completing the campaign with an unbeaten away record.
Solskjaer did, however, enjoy tangible success before moving to United, beginning his career in his native Norway at his former side Molde, which he led to a first-ever domestic title, and in his second spell, following a stint at Cardiff City, gave a top-flight debut to Erling Haaland.
Mourinho and Solskjaer met five times in the dugout during their time in the Premier League, with the first coming on the final day of the 2013-14 campaign when Chelsea beat an already-relegated Cardiff 2-1.

𝐆𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫. pic.twitter.com/vj8ofpyGli
— Beşiktaş EN (@BesiktasEnglish) January 17, 2025

The next four were all encounters between United and Tottenham Hotspur, with Solskjaer winning twice and Mourinho once, with a solitary draw in the clubs’ first match following the Covid-19-enforced break during the 2019-20 season.
However, the Portuguese boss earned arguably the most impressive triumph when his Tottenham side won 6-1 at Old Trafford in 2020.
Their next league meeting is scheduled for May 4 at Fenerbahce’s Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, with Besiktas having won their December encounter 1-0 thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s solitary goal.
Besiktas won the domestic cup last season and last won the top-flight title in 2020-21.
Fenerbahce, meanwhile, finished second in an epic title race last season on 99 points, with eventual winner Galatasaray reaching 102 points.


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English Premier League

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Sport

Football

Besiktas confirm Norwegian as new boss, with his Old Trafford predecessor in the dugout at Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce


Besiktas confirm Norwegian as new boss, with his Old Trafford predecessor in the dugout at Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce.
