Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo on Monday posted a heartfelt message for former teammate and coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after he was sacked from the top job following a disappointing season in the Premier League.

Solskjaer was dismissed as the first-team manager after Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Watford left the team in seventh place with just one win from their last seven matches.

Michael Carrick, another former player who has been part of Solskjaer’s coaching staff will take charge of the side at Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday while the club search for an interim coach to manage the team to the end of the season.

Ronaldo, who played with Solskjaer in the latter’s final season at Manchester United in 2007, wished the ex-Norway striker all the best for his future endeavours.

“He’s been my striker when I first came to Old Trafford and he’s been my coach since I came back to Man. United. But most of all, Ole is an outstanding human being.

“I wish him the best in whatever his life has reserved for him. Good luck, my friend! You deserve it,” Ronaldo posted on his social media accounts.

Solskjaer, who won six Premier League titles as a player and scored the stoppage-time winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich, had taken over the coaching job after Jose Mourinho was axed nearly three years ago.

Solskjaer, who played for United from 1996-2007 under Ferguson, was handed the manager’s job permanently in 2019 after a promising start at Old Trafford as caretaker, having rediscovered some of the team’s attacking verve and bringing calmness after the toxic end to Mourinho’s tenure.

Man United finished third and second in the last two seasons in the Premier League, suggesting the team was heading in the right direction under Solskjaer. However, the regression has been stark this season and he leaves as a sentimental appointment gone wrong.