Thick snow, which is rare in these parts, covers the training pitches at Besiktas’ training ground on the Asian side of Istanbul, a sprawling, football mad metropolis of 15 million people.

The mood is positive following another win, this time away at fourth place Eyupspor the previous evening, though the team have changed plans to fly south and train by Turkey’s Mediterranean coast for a few days. Not every player likes having two days fewer with their families, but to new Besiktas coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it’s important to do what’s best for the team and club.

Besiktas boast big-name internationals and the third-highest wage bill in Turkey behind rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, yet they had slipped to seventh by November when coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst lost his job. He was replaced in January by Solskjaer, who has won six, drawn one and lost one of his eight games in charge.

Little wonder that the players we meet from Brazil, Kosovo, Portugal, England and Turkey are smiling, as are the staff who are included on the win bonus too.

Before speaking to Solskjaer, The Athletic comes for a look around the training ground, a drink of tea and a chance to meet the Besiktas players. There’s a tour of where they sleep (each player has their own room), the gym, library, treatment room and pools. Think four-star hotel rather than five-star opulence, with a huge image of the team winning the Turkish Cup last season under the slogan ‘After the dark — the Eagle Rises.’

What’s your new coach like? How has he got you winning so quickly?

“He’s made us more compact, plays us in our positions and brings a good team spirit,” says goalkeeper Mert Gunok.

Then it’s past a desk where Solskjaer’s face appears from the front of the Besiktas magazine, beyond rooms for analysts, team managers, travel, doctors and assistants to the manager’s office. A pair of used Adidas Copa Mundials rest by the door.

What follows is a wide-ranging interview in which Solskjaer speaks candidly to The Athletic about…

• Being offered at least 40 jobs since leaving Manchester United in November 2021
• Why he decided Besiktas was the right one
• Teaching his players ’emotional control’
• How the incredible atmosphere in Istanbul compares with Old Trafford
• Enjoying the form of Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire
• Being ‘upset’ at United letting Scott McTominay go
• How he reflects on his time as United manager
• How to drive change as a manager
• Whether United need to be more patient with coaches
• Preparing to face Jose Mourinho
• Avoiding cakes — but enjoying kebabs

The Athletic: You’re a few months in at Istanbul, how has your experience been so far?

Solskjaer: It hasn’t been a few months, it has been five weeks — look (Solskjaer points to a planner by his desk with dates marked).

We’ve experienced a lot of changes in that time. The state of this place was worse than I thought — a little bit like when I came to Man United. The players were down and probably thought “Here we go again, another coach, another change”. There have been different coaches and presidents, and I understand that changes are difficult for players. But we beat Bilbao (4-1 in the Europa League) after three days and that made a difference.

Never call them Bilbao. It’s Athletic Club…

Sorry, I knew that. Athletic! Anyway, our stadium was sold out, we played well and beat the Europa League leaders 4-1. A very good result and we started getting belief again. We played quick football on transitions and we controlled the game and defended well.

I wanted to lift the burden on players since they were under huge pressure — in the media and on social media. I wanted to help the players be the best version of themselves and bond them into a team. That’s the key: the culture should be the team and not I.

It’s difficult to make too many changes when you arrive in the middle of the season, and you can’t change too much in training because you risk niggles and injuries. But I switched small, little things and gradually the players have brought into my ideas — our ideas because there’s more than me.

Erling (Moe) came with me. He’s an excellent head coach in his own right; he’s won league titles and coached in European football. He was my assistant at Molde. I knew that I had great people with me, but the fans also started to see the quality of people I was bringing with me. There’s Richard (Hartis), who I’ve worked with for years. He’s so much more than a goalkeeping coach.

OK, he brings his own Yorkshire Tea rather than drinking Turkish tea like me, but we’ve worked together since 2007 when I was a forward coach at United’s first team and he was the goalkeeping coach when Tony Coton was injured. He came to Norway with me and we have a bond, he’s my right-hand man and we bounce off each other. He was let go by United last season and had worked for Jamaica with Steve McClaren.

Solskjaer in his office at Besiktas (Andy Mitten for The Athletic)

Tom Green has come here from Man United where he was a senior analyst. I asked United it was possible to take him because, while Besiktas is a huge club, there’s room for improvement in lots of areas. Many little improvements will mean one big improvement. Mike Marsh, who played at Liverpool, has come in too as a coach. Richard knew Mike from England under-17s where they won the World Cup. Mike had been at Preston.

You were offered the Molde job in December and you didn’t take that out of loyalty to Erling, who’d just lost it. Does that reinforce the loyalty that they have to you?

It’s a big thing for me. I’d never take a job which someone had been released from without their agreement

But you’re also fortunate to be able to say ‘no’. Not everyone in football is in a financial position to say no…

I get that, but that’s me. I’ve just had three years out of management. I didn’t waste that time: I studied, worked for UEFA where I studied tactical trends, went to games, coached my son’s under-16s team. I really enjoyed it and being with family. I’ve spent nights with Man United supporters and I’ve loved that connection. I had so much positive feedback that I started to think “Yeah, I did alright actually as a manager.”

I heard it said that you were not in demand, that you’d not been offered any jobs.

I’ve been offered many jobs, but it had to be the right opportunity.

How many?

At least 40. But they weren’t right; I need to be in my job. I’m a people-person; I use the human capital around me.

So why Besiktas? It’s a huge club with a great history in an amazing city. But I’d spoken to them twice before, six months ago and a year ago. It was different this time with the president and the way he spoke about bringing the old Besiktas back with values and respect. Human values like never giving up, always fighting. And they want quick, attacking football.

So you’re saying that you bring stability to a country renowned for football instability, but Besiktas average a coach per year…

Besiktas have had 10 coaches since I left United. I needed to get the players to feel part of something that they love and give them the opportunity to perform at their best level. I needed to see what the best system is for their style of football.

I’ve never been tied down to one style. I know many styles and we’ve started OK, but we’re so far behind the leading two (Galatasaray and Fenerbahce). But we need to find a style where we can dominate games and win games. Last night (a 3-1 win at Eyupspor) was a very good example of what we’re trying to do. We had emotional control — we conceded after 45 seconds and you can struggle if you lose your heads, but we worked on emotional stability.

We created chances and we could have scored more goals, but it was a very satisfactory win and I saw the players express their talents. I want them to play every game like it’s their last game.

Solskjaer says the situation at Besiktas was similar to what he inherited at United (Ahmad Mora – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

Why are you so far behind the leading two?

I don’t want to think too much about Fener and Gala. We need to do things our way, a different way: my way, the president’s way. But there was no panic in the transfer window. We need to think long term, to get the right players in for the right value and money. We don’t have crazy money to spend and waste.

You’ve played eight, won six, drawn one and lost one. But that defeat was against Twente, which saw you eliminated from Europe. How much of a blow was that?

Big. A poor game in Holland. We never put our foothold on the game, they made a few fouls early on. We needed to win and it was a learning curve for us — not just because of the football but what I saw after the game and the reaction from the players. That was the first time they saw the other side of me, not because of the result but the performance. It’s not just about being a nice guy, we need to set the standards higher.

How did your players respond to your reaction that night?

We’ve won every game since — and that’s the only response I wanted. I wanted them to come into training, work hard, work well. We must create the performance culture on the training ground that will lead into games.

You’ve reintroduced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and given some young players a chance. Why?

Alex is a good player and he’ll get better. I like to give young players a chance and Besiktas is known for bringing young players through. We have a good academy here and our bench is mostly young players who I really believe in. Some are very good. I’m not going to name individuals and bring attention to them, but we have internationals and I will give them a chance.

Of course, we need short-term results because we need to get up the league. We need to get European qualification and that will either come from a top-four finish or winning the cup. But I should also give minutes to youngsters and give them a chance to play with experienced ones. You can’t just send a load of young players in; you need a balance and you can set them back if you play them too early. I want a more energetic team.

There are former United players who you played with who say that the atmosphere they experienced at Besiktas in 2010 was the best in their career. How has it been for you?

I’ve had two home games so far. Athletic! And Trabzonspor. Both sold out. Both incredible noise levels. As a manager, the only atmosphere comparable was when we beat City (2-0 in 2020) and Scott McTominay got that late goal. The Stretford End was bouncing long after. And Ronaldo’s return v Newcastle, of course. What noise that day.

Then we locked down for the pandemic and saw no fans for six months, but we carried on winning and went over a year unbeaten away with United. Played some top football too.

Here, it’s the songs, the noise and the lights at the stadium. It’s a tight stadium in an incredible location overlooking the Bosphorus. The whole city is incredible.

McTominay celebrates scoring against City (Ashley Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

So you’re enjoying it?

You want to avoid the traffic here as much as you can, but I’ve been for a good look around. I’ve visited the Maiden Tower from the James Bond movie, visited the Grand Bazaar. I’ve got grey hair now and I’m easy to spot, so I put a cap on and walk around. You can’t just lock yourself in a bubble here, you must try to embrace the city where you live and experience the culture.

The food is amazing, but I’m trying to keep healthy and must watch what I eat. I’ve tried to stay healthy for the last three years to be ready for when I start working. Then I come here and walk past shops selling the most beautiful cakes. I’ve had a few good kebabs too and been to BBQs at the president’s place.

Have you learned any Turkish?

A few phrases. It’s hard, but I’ll try and learn more.

What do you know about Turkish history?

I need to learn and I will. I’m not part of any politics here, but I know the history is important here and I know that the Turkish people are very patriotic. I was chatting with my staff this morning about the history. To understand the people, you need to know the history. Ask me again in the summer.

(Solksjaer’s Norwegian phone rings)

(Smiling, he says) That’s my wife and she’s more important than you… But she can wait a few minutes. My family have stayed in Norway. My eldest two, 24 and 22 soon, are footballers and I miss seeing their games, but I try to stream as many as possible. Second tier. My daughter was born on 03/03/03. 2003. Besiktas were formed 03/03/03. 1903. My daughter saw that and said: “This is the right club for you, Dad.”

Do you watch anyone else?

Less and less. England is three hours behind, so I don’t see the night games and we play ourselves at the weekend so I just see highlights.

Do you keep in touch with your old United assistants, Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna?

I keep in touch with all the staff and some of the players. We all know that there are ups and downs in football. Kieran and Michael had brilliant seasons in the league last year. This year, Kieran has done well to get a few results and hopefully Ipswich can stay up. Michael has had plenty of ups and downs this season — that’s life in the Championship where you get momentum one way or another.

They are both top managers and top human beings.

Carrick, Solskjaer and McKenna celebrate during a lockdown game (Photo: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Do you watch Manchester United games?

When I can. It’s still good to see Bruno Fernandes and Harry (Maguire) doing well. And Scotty is doing well at Napoli. I’m upset that we let him go because he was important last season when he kept popping up with goals. His heart and his knowledge of the culture were important.

We…?

We. But my focus is here now; it must be. It’s a huge club with fans all around Turkey and all around the world. We played an away cup game at the Olympic Stadium and we brought 12,000, but it felt like 40,000 because they were so loud. There’s a huge basketball team here too and the atmosphere there is as good as the football.

Besiktas is more than a football club and started out as a gymnastics club. The community is important here and there are parallels with United. Besiktas were the first Turkish club to play outside Turkey.

I’ve got a big task. My job is to make every player here the best version of themselves. The staff too. I want them to feel important here. And you must tell people when they do their job well, even opponents. Last night when I praised the ground staff at Eyupspor because they did well to get the game on in the snow.

Here, I make decisions which will lead to improved relationships between staff and players. When I arrived, I had my senior players sitting together in the canteen in these little groups. I want everyone mixing more now. I’m not making radical changes, but I am making changes. People can resist change at times, but change is important if you want to go forward. If you keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result, then you’re mad. So change and get a different result.

How would you describe Turkish football?

Nothing is a surprise. Every day can throw a surprise at you. As for the standard, you have experienced players with good technical qualities. We play against well-organised teams, especially at the back. There’s a lot of focus on counter-attacking football.

It’s like a grown-up version of the Norwegian league, where the players tend to be younger. We have two teams here that are far ahead, and our challenge is to make up that ground — and you do that by winning against the other teams first.

Does what has gone on since at United show your spell in a better light?

Those last six weeks were hard, I can’t deny that, but we were also top of our Champions League group. It was the two games against City and Watford that did it, but I maintain that finishing second and third in my two full seasons wasn’t bad given the level in the Premier League. We also reached a European final, but I see what Jose (Mourinho) means when he says that his best achievement was getting his United side to second in the league.

Jose is now managing close by at Fenerbahce. Have you spoken to him here (this was before the fractious game against Galatasaray)?

No, but we’ll play them soon. I have huge respect for Jose and what he’s done in football. We’ve never really sat down and spoken for a long time because it was Covid time when I was at United and he was at Spurs. But I’ll see him soon when we meet.

Mourinho in December’s game against Besiktas. They meet again before the season is over (Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

You both lasted just over two and a half years at United. Erik ten Hag around the same, Louis van Gaal was two years. Do United need go beyond this and realise that you shouldn’t change coach after a few bad months, or did you feel there was patience?

That’s for the people at the top (of United), but an issue is that the manager plays with the previous manager’s players. I just remember a great time at United apart from the last six weeks. Great people — and the culture is in the people. Going back to United was like going back to my family, like I’d never been away. But Besiktas also feels like a family club, with respect for each other. There are members of staff who’ve been here for 10, 20, 30 years.

It’s good to be back and at a club like this, with this level of players. I want to test and try what made me successful before, and I’ve got my core beliefs and a way of coaching, but also the new things I’ve learned when I’ve been out of a job — tactical tweaks and trends in the game.

Football is always evolving and I need to build a style of play. We’ll get this season done, do as well as we can and then, from the summer, we kick on.

(Top image: Andy Mitten for The Athletic)