Turkish Clubs Fire Two Ex-Manchester United Managers

Two former Manchester United managers, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and José Mourinho, have suffered the same fate after they were both dismissed by their respective Turkish clubs.

Naija News reports that this is after they both failed to secure places in Europe’s premier competitions.

Beşiktaş Sack Solskjær

Beşiktaş announced on Thursday that they had parted ways with Solskjær following a Conference League play-off defeat to Swiss side Lausanne.

The Norwegian, who took charge of the Istanbul outfit in January 2025, had guided them to a fourth-placed Süper Lig finish last season but failed to deliver European football this term.

The club in a statement write: “Our contract with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been terminated following a decision made at a board meeting. Following the meeting, our chairman, Serdal Adalı, thanked Solskjaer for his services to date.”

The club disclosed that it has begun the search for a successor, with former Borussia Dortmund player and coach Nuri Şahin strongly linked to the job.

Mourinho Dismissed

Early on Friday, Fenerbahçe announced the sacking of José Mourinho following the club’s elimination from the UEFA Champions League qualifying round against Benfica.

The Portuguese tactician, appointed earlier this year amid great expectations, was tasked with securing group-stage qualification but failed at the first hurdle.

Dressing-room tensions and mixed results in pre-season were key factors in the decision to end his tenure prematurely.

The club said an interim coach will be appointed shortly while the search begins for a permanent successor.

Naija News reports that both Solskjær and Mourinho share a Manchester United connection, having previously managed the English giants.

Mourinho, appointed in 2016, won the Community Shield, League Cup, and Europa League in his first season – making United the fifth club to win all major European trophies. He was sacked in 2018.

Solskjær replaced him as caretaker in December 2018, earned a permanent role by March 2019, but was dismissed in November 2021 after a poor run of results.