When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arrived at Manchester United in 1996 as a fresh-faced 23-year-old, he was an unknown Norwegian youngster finding his feet in the game.

Former teammate Gary Neville admitted that on first sighting he thought Solskjaer "must've won a competition as a fan."

25 years later, there is no mistaking Solskjaer's identity. The clinical striker quickly made people sit up and take notice at Old Trafford, and went on to remain at the club for 11 years.

During that time he won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and, of course, the Champions League as part of United's treble-winning campaign in 1998/99. He scored the dramatic injury-time winner in the final on what remains an unforgettable evening in the Red Devils' history.

Following his retirement in 2007, Solskjaer went into management. Back in Norway, he led Molde to back-to-back titles to kick-start his promising coaching career. Then, in 2018, his big opportunity arrived.

United came calling, offering their former player the manager's role. Solskjaer jumped at the chance, and he's now trying to help the club return to the summit of the Premier League.

In July 2020, he sat down with Jake Humphrey and Damian Hughes on the High Performance Podcast to reflect on his career so far.

During their discussions, the 48-year-old was asked to outline three principles that he will always stand by. Here, GIVEMESPORT takes a look at the United manager's three non-negotiables...

1. Trust

With United being recognised as one of the biggest clubs in the world, Solskjaer is subjected to endless scrutiny as the coach of the team. Yet he appears unfazed, often smiling and laughing before, during and after games. How does he stay so calm? One word: trust.

Solskjaer revealed: "I can trust the staff and the players more or less as well with my life." 

In the big moments, he trusts those around him to make the right decisions and deliver positive results for the team.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

2. Loyalty

Solskjaer describes this next trait as "vital."

The promising coach admits that if he does not feel a player is loyal to the team, he is more than happy to show them the door. He claims that even the most naturally gifted players must display loyalty if they want to succeed under him.

3. Commitment to the team

Throughout his appearance on the podcast, it becomes apparent that Solskjaer feels that a team must all be pulling in the same direction in order to achieve their goals. 

He states that he relies on his players as a collective unit to "keep the standards high" so that they do not rest on their laurels, and wants them to take accountability for their actions so that they can grow as a squad.

Through using these principles, Solskjaer has worked his way up from humble beginnings in Norway to playing with and coaching some of the finest players on the planet. It has been some journey.

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