The 28th August 2007 brought to an end the career of one of my heroes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Who decided the persistent knee injuries he had been suffering from would prevent him getting back to the level of performances that made Manchester United fans love him.

Solskjaer joined Man United from Molde in 1996 for a fee of £1.5 million and started scoring instantly. He hit the back of the net only six minutes into his debut against Blackburn Rovers.

Solskjaer will be best known for the 1998/9 season. He scored a dramatic late winner in the F.A. Cup Fourth Round against fierce rivals Liverpool in a highly entertaining game. Later in the season he came off the bench with Man United leading Nottingham Forest 4-1, with 12 minutes left on the clock. He proceeded to score four goals in the remainder of the match; a remarkable feat.

Then came the most important moment in his Man United career; The European Cup Final against Bayern Munich. Man United had just equalised and the game looked to be heading towards extra-time when Solskjaer got on the end of a flick on by Teddy Sheringham and instinctively flicked the ball past Oliver Kahn in the Bayern Munich goal. However, this moment was the best and worst moment in his career. Whilst celebrating he ruptured knee ligaments which have never been the same since.

For most fans the 1998/99 season was Solskjaer's best. For me, however, his finest season was the 2002/3 season. With United reverting to a 4-5-1 with Ruud van Nistelrooy as a lone striker, many thought Solskjaer's days as a United player were over. However, he switched to right midfield when David Beckham picked up an injury.

Solskjaer proved to be every bit a good crosser of the ball as Beckham but added an increased goal threat. Solskjaer's performances were that good, that Beckham was dropped from the team and promptly sold to Real Madrid at the end of the season. Unfortunately, Solskjaer suffered from a recurrence of his knee injury and was forced to sit out for two seasons.

After a few games here and there, Solskjaer was back for the 2006/7 season. He chipped in with his fair share of goals as United reclaimed the Premier League title after four long seasons without it. This was to be Solskjaer's last season as a United player but his name will be forever remembered by the Old Trafford faithful. No one will ever replace Eric Cantona as the fan's favourite at Old Trafford but no one will ever come as close to doing it as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Glen Robertson