In the second of our four-part series, we look at a player who went on to manage two Scandinavian nations…
Denmark: Age Hareide
When Age Hareide arrived at Maine Road in October 1981, little was known of the Norwegian centre-back.
One of manager John Bond’s lower key signings, Hareide commanded a modest fee from Molde and was signed more as a squad member than a first-team regular.
He would make just 25 appearances over two seasons, eight of which were from the bench, before being sold to Norwich City where he enjoyed slightly more game time.
Despite the brevity of his time at City, he was something of a cult figure, with his own chant of ‘Oggy Hareide’!
Yet once he returned to Norway, he disappeared off the radar of fans in England.
After his playing career ended in 1987, he moved into management in Norway and served a long apprenticeship with various clubs including Molde and Danish side Brondby.
Some 18 years passed before he was appointed as Norway national team manager and he would remain in the hot-seat for five years before stepping aside after a poor start to the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Hareide returned to club management for seven years before being installed as Denmark manager in 2016.
He guided the Danes to a World Cup qualifier play-off – ironically against former City and Norwich team-mate Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland – and saw his side triumph 5-1 on aggregate.
Hareide’s Denmark made it to the Round of 16 in Russia and he remains their current manager.
