Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has rightly been earning all the plaudits after guiding Manchester United to an eighth win in a row on Friday, but few would have expected UFC star Conor McGregor to jump on the bandwagon.
McGregor was clearly impressed by United’s 3-1 win at Arsenal, which takes them into the fifth round of the FA Cup, after goals from Alexis Sanchez, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial.
“You can feel the passion he has for his club and its history. Beaming with pride as he vividly explains the team’s amazing counter attacking ability over the years. Past and present! Wow!”
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Anthony Martial celebrates with Jesse Lingard after scoring Manchester United’s third goal against Arsenal in the FA Cup. Photo: EPA
It was one of Solskjaer’s post-match comments that caught McGregor’s eye in another tweet.
“Today we looked more like a proper team,” the former United striker said. “We were structured and that was classic Manchester United counter-attack.
“There are so many examples of that against Arsenal – [Wayne] Rooney, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, Park Ji-sung and we showed them those videos.”
No, it wasn’t Solskjaer’s mention of former South Korean star Park that piqued McGregor’s interest – it was his use of a certain word.
“Proper! I’m not surprised,” wrote McGregor – who is of course now busy running a whiskey brand called “Proper Twelve”.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær is a special man!
The Man United Super Sub.
Player AND Manager. Insane!
You can feel the passion he has for his club and it’s history.
Beaming with pride as he vividly explains the teams amazing counter attacking ability over the years. Past and present!
Wow!— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) January 26, 2019
It seems McGregor might have a bit of a soft sport for United – as one user pointed out in the replies to McGregor’s first tweet, he has been pictured wearing the team shirt before as a child.
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“I was big into football as a kid, but more as a player than a watcher,” McGregor wrote in the Irish Independent in 2015.
“I suppose if you pushed me I would say [I’m a] Manchester United [fan], but that’s only because it gets passed down from generation to generation. I think just about everyone in Ireland is either a Liverpool or United fan.
“But some people go a little weird, referring to the team they support as ‘we’. To me that’s a little crazy. I admire their athleticism and their dedication.”
However, as others pointed out, McGregor has previously expressed allegiance to United’s bitter rivals Liverpool.
“I’m red. Liverpool. F*** Everton, yeah?” McGregor was filmed saying to Liverpool fans in 2017.
“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a special man!” the Irishman wrote on Twitter. “The Man United Super Sub.