Man Utd icon Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sacked by Beskitas after less than a year

Besiktas have announced the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer just hours after crashing out of Conference League qualifying. The Turkish giants suffered a devastating 1-0 defeat at home to Swiss outfit Lausanne-Sport in the second leg of their play-off clash on Thursday. The crushing result means Besiktas will be absent from European competition this season.

Solskjaer's men had already fallen short in their bid to reach the Europa League through the play-offs, though they did triumph in their opening Turkish Super Lig fixture, defeating Eyupspor 2-1. Besiktas bosses have swung the axe just eight months after appointing the Manchester United legend as their head coach.

In an official statement, the club declared: "Our contract with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been terminated following a decision made at the board meeting. Following the meeting, our chairman, Serdal Adali, thanked Solskjaer for his services to date. We respectfully submit this for the public's information."

The 52-year-old had secured victory in more than half of his 29 matches at the helm, guiding Besiktas to a fourth-place finish last term. After being axed by United in November 2021, the Norwegian had remained out of management for three years before taking the Istanbul job.

Besiktas had battled to a 1-1 stalemate in the first leg against Lausanne-Sport - who are controlled by Man United's part-owners, INEOS - last week.

When the sides reconvened for the decisive second leg in Istanbul, the hosts were widely tipped to progress. The starting eleven for Besiktas included former Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista, Wilfred Ndidi - recently signed from Leicester City, ex-West Ham midfielder Joao Mario and former Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham.

The home side were left reeling when Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, a summer signing from Arsenal, put Lausanne-Sport ahead just before the half-time whistle.

Besiktas' evening took a turn for the worse when Felix Uduokhai was given his marching orders less than a minute into the second half. Despite Solskjaer ringing the changes in an attempt to shift the balance of play, their Swiss rivals held firm to secure their place in the Conference League this season.

Solskjaer's tenure was hanging by a thread following a defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League qualification play-offs. Former Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin has been touted as a potential successor.

As for Solskjaer's next move, he's previously been linked with the managerial role for the Norway national team, having represented them 67 times and netted 23 goals during his distinguished playing career.

Current Norway manager Stale Solbakken, a close friend of Solskjaer, has stated that he'll step down when his contract ends after the 2026 World Cup campaign.