CARDIFF: Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was named as manager of English Premier League strugglers Cardiff City on Thursday.

The 40-year-old Norwegian, who earned a place in United’s history by scoring the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, replaces Malky Mackay who was sacked on December 27 after his relationship with club owner Vincent Tan broke down.

Mackay had guided Cardiff into English football’s top division for the first time in 51 years, and also to the 2012 League Cup final.

Solskjaer left Molde in his native Norway to take over at Cardiff, who are 17th in the 20-team Premier League — a point and a place above the relegation zone.

“Cardiff City Football Club are delighted to announce that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has joined as first team manager,” the club said in a statement.

Solskjaer spent 11 years at United from 1996-2007 during which his boyish looks and razor-sharp instincts in front of goal earned him the nickname ‘The Baby-faced Assassin’.

He retired in 2007 after failing to recover from a serious knee injury, but remained at United in a coaching and ambassadorial role and went on to become the club's reserve-team manager.

He has been managing Molde for three years, leading them to the first league title in their 100-year history in 2011 and retaining the crown a year later. They also won the Norwegian Cup last year.—Agencies