MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United will pay Molde approximately £500,000 as a goodwill gesture after hiring Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, sources have told ESPN FC.
United announced the Norwegian as their permanent manager on Thursday after he signed a three-year deal worth £7 million a year to become Jose Mourinho's successor on a full-time basis.
Solskjaer signed a three-year contract with Molde on Dec.3 before taking over at Old Trafford in a caretaker capacity just two weeks later.
That agreement was terminated when the 46-year-old signed a short-term deal to replace Mourinho, and sources have said that United will pay the Eliteserien side around £500k in addition to a £500k payment made to sign him on loan.
Solskjaer was appointed after winning 14 of his 19 games in charge, including impressive victories in the Premier League at Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
His immediate aim is to finish in the top four and guarantee Champions League football next season, but he didn't rule out a title bid soon.
"We take confidence from our performances and results lately," he said. "The league is decided by margins and if you have the belief, if you have the confidence, if you have the togetherness, if you have the work-rate, attitude, you'll get those margins and that's when you'll win games and you'll suddenly end up challenging for trophies."
Solskjaer won the Premier League six times during his 11 years as a player at Old Trafford, but the club have not come close since lifting the title in 2013.
He has taken the reins at English football's most successful club, but has warned there is work to do to get the club back to the top.
"No team, no players, will get anything they don't deserve in football," said Solskjaer.
"We have to earn the right to be at the top and I have lots of faith in the players, the staff and the club."
