#3 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
The summer of 1996 saw Manchester United sign two of the stars of Euro 1996 in Karel Poborsky and Jordi Cruyff, and so another, cheaper signing in the form of unknown Norwegian striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who cost just £1.5m to sign from his first club Molde, flew way under the radar. It turned out that he’d be a much more important acquisition.
Right away Solskjaer made an impact, though he wasn’t one of United’s first choice strikers – their favoured pairing was Andy Cole and Eric Cantona – he still scored 19 goals in his debut season as United won their fourth Premier League title, and went on to record 126 goals in 366 appearances for the Red Devils.
Earning the nickname ‘The Baby-Faced Assassin’ due to his youthful looks and predatory instincts in front of goal, Solskjaer’s most endearing trait was his ability to score goals coming off the substitute’s bench – he hit 29 goals coming off the bench, including his legendary winner in the 1999 Champions League final.
In the end, Solskjaer spent a total of eleven seasons at United and although he was never a first-choice player, he always played a key part in their success, even filling in as a right midfielder for a time. Considering his low price, he turned out to be one of Alex Ferguson’s best bargain signings.
