Solskjær glad to be back at Molde

After a year away from football, Ole Gunnar Solskjær is back as manager of Molde, the club he led to two league titles and a Norwegian Cup between 2011-14 before a brief spell in charge of Cardiff City.

"I promised the family that I would take a year off, but then I started to get hungry for more work at the highest level," said Solskjær, who will lead the team in Thursday's UEFA Europa League home match against Celtic, having signed a contract until the end of the 2018 season.

Solskjær scored 31 goals in 38 games for Molde in 1995 and 1996 before being snapped up by Manchester United, with whom he won the 1998/99 UEFA Champions League as well as six Premier League titles. However, his return to the English top division with Cardiff was less of a success; he stepped aside after just eight months in charge.

"My time at Cardiff did of course turn out shorter than I had hoped," the 42-year-old said. "I felt that I left Molde in a good shape, and it was an easy decision when they wanted me back."

Solskjær believes the Molde players have to get back to the hunger for success that they had in his previous spell, with their European successes contrasting with a disappointing domestic campaign; they are seventh in the 15-team Norwegian table.

"The facilities and the mentality is already there, as is the quality of the players," says Solskjær, who played alongside the club's 40-year-old midfielder Daniel Hestad in his first spell at the club.

Meanwhile, the new coach looked forward to coming up against Celtic, having scored the winner against the Hoops in a 3-2 UEFA Champions League group stage success for Manchester United back in September 2006.

"This will be a fantastic game for the players and everyone connected to the club," he said. "We are up against a top international team, and the players are looking forward to it."

Caretaker Erling Moe, who helped Molde to take four points from their opening two Group A games, will remain to be on Molde's coaching staff.

Click the video player above to see UEFA.com's 2011 piece on how Solskjær put Sir Alex Ferguson's ideas into practice in his first spell at Molde