On the comeback trail, former Man United favourite Solskjaer heads to familiar surroundings.

As Ole Gunnar Solskjær stood behind a table he prepared to address the Norwegian media. The feeling of deja vu no doubt swept over him as for the third time in his career he was back in the city of Molde on Norway’s Romsdal Peninsula.

It was there he began his professional playing career as a baby faced striker before being snapped by Manchester United only to return as manager after a spell coaching United’s reserves. Solskjær would be the first to admit his return to Molde FK for a third time had come much earlier than he had anticipated. He had departed nigh two years prior, embarking on a journey back to the Premier League where he had made his name, now aiming to carve a career as a manager. “My stay at Cardiff was shorter than I expected,” Solskjær said at his unveiling as Molde boss earlier this month.

His move to the Welsh capital was seen by many as the next step for a promising managerial career. At Molde he had delivered considerable success including the club’s first league title during the year of their centenary. He was the home-town hero returning to deliver silverware and stop Rosenborg winning a third consecutive title, it was the kind of fairy-tale oft associated with Hans Christian Andersen.

Away from the titles there was also a multitude of things to be impressed by. Solskjær still refers to Sir Alex Ferguson as ‘The Gaffer’. The respect is felt in every anecdote and every mention of Ferguson’s name. The self confessed 'plastic Manc’ clearly took a lot from their time together and it was that mental toughness along with a determination to win that cast him as one of Europe’s hottest young managers.

For many, his third season gave the greatest proof of that mentality. The team lost key components at both ends of the pitch as defender Vegard Forren and forward Davy Claude Angan left for Southampton and Hangzhou Greentown respectively. As he tried to replace them with shrewd young signings that ultimately did not pan out, rivals Rosenborg added proven quality to bridge the gap between the two sides.

Unable to consistently select his strongest XI it proved an arduous campaign. He maintained his attacking football and took solace from the lessons of his mentor. “He [Sir Alex Ferguson] taught me absolutely everything.” Solskjær said at the time. “It’s good now in a period where we are struggling in Molde because I think I’ve gone to the best school any budding manager could have. I worked with him for 14 and a half years. All the insights I’ve gained are standing me in good stead.”

He would end the season in sixth place but would still collect another piece of silverware after they bested Rosenborg 4-2 in the Norwegian Football Cup. He had ridden a bump in the road and still come out relatively unscathed. It was that which no doubt convinced Cardiff City that he was the one to lead the club from potential relegation from the Premier League and thus as 2014 began Solskjær packed up and returned to England.

He first took his team to St James’ Park. 1-0 down in the second half he made two substitutions and brought on Fraizer Campbell and Craig Noone. Both scored and Solskjær’s association with the substitution was what newspapers lead with. In his company that day, watching from the stands, was Magnus Wolff Eikrem. The midfielder had followed him from Manchester United to Molde and was one of three Norwegian players he signed for Cardiff during the January transfer window (along with Mats Møller Dæhli and Jo Inge Berget).

With all men represented by Solskjær’s friend and agent Jim Solbakken, there were claims in the Norwegian media that the two had conspired to make the deals happen, reportedly netting Solbakken millions in the process: “Jim Solbakken can laugh all the way to the bank,” read one Norwegian article discussing the potential corruption and conflict of interest. “After everything you’ve written about Jim you should know I won’t talk to you,” Solskjær said at his unveiling in a moment that was somewhat reminiscent of Sir Alex.

He would spend just 259 days as Cardiff City manager, an eight and a half month period that saw only a handful of wins as the club were relegated from the Premier League. Many criticised his tactical decisions and questioned his bizarre team selections as he cycled through a variety of different formations, struggling to settle on a best XI. Offering his resignation in September 2014 he said in a statement: “I want to thank Vincent for giving me the opportunity to manage Cardiff City FC. He has my full respect and I really wish him all the best in his pursuit of making this football club successful. However, our difference in philosophy on how to manage the club made me decide to step aside and allow the club to move forward in the direction Vincent wants.”

As he adjusted to unemployment his former team were thriving. 2014 saw Molde do the double under Tor Ole Skullerud. The 44 year old’s career path was the antithesis of Solskjaer’s - his playing career confined to the humble surroundings of his hometown club Kongsvinger. After that he began a slow ascent up the coaching ladder, working as an assistant manager at Vålerenga and with Norway’s U21s before being handed full control of the team in 2013.

Guiding Norway to a win against England and a draw against Italy at the UEFA European Under-21 Championships, he was eventually hired by Molde, although his time there was brief. He did the double in his first season but contrasted that with struggles in the second year. Blessed with arguably one of the most talented squads in the Norwegian league, they failed to deliver as Rosenborg and Stabæk battled it out for the title. Many speculate that it was his family’s inability to settle in Molde and their eagerness to return to Bærum that impacted Skullerud’s mentality and as a consequence his players.

Sacked in August, the club took their time in replacing him and were linked with a handful of candidates including Stabæk’s manager Bob Bradley. In the period between his dismissal at Cardiff and return to Molde Solskjær has kept busy. He enrolled on the LMA diploma in Football Management course and also coached U16 and U8 teams.

“It’s brilliant, you see the fire in their eyes,” Solskjær said of his time spent coaching the youngsters. “They want to learn, they want to improve and it was good to come get back to that to level and get my enjoyment and enthusiasm back in football.”

Watching from the stands as his side beat Celtic 3-1 in the Europe League, his first match in charge saw a more narrow scoreline as he beat Aalesund 2-1 in the league. Back in familiar surroundings, clad in the blue of Molde, Solskjær has shunned the idea of never returning to the site of former glories in the hope it can reignite his managerial career and push him back to the big time. “The last comeback was good so hopefully this one will be successful,” he told TV2 with a boyish grin.

Blessed with a strong position in the Europa League and a handful of matches in the Tippeligaen, Solskjaer still has something to play for. And given the way his playing career at Manchester United transpired, he certainly knows how to spark a come-back, particularly when it seems least likely, something he will no doubt be hoping he can do once more.