Manchester United appointed Solskjær as caretaker manager on 19 December 2018, taking over from José Mourinho for the rest of the 2018–19 season. He was scheduled to return to Molde in May 2019, with his assistant coach Erling Moe acting as caretaker manager during Solskjær's absence in the pre-season and the first matches of the 2019 Eliteserien, which was scheduled to start on 31 March 2019. Solskjær later suggested that he would need to sign a new contract with Molde if he were to return, but this was refuted by Molde director Øystein Neerland, who expected Solskjær to return to Molde at the end of the English season.