OLE Gunnar Solskjaer's last goal for United came against Blackburn Rovers last March when he came off the bench to score at Old Trafford.

It was an ironic final strike because that's exactly how it all started almost 11 years earlier on a Bank Holiday when the unknown £1.5m striker emerged after an hour as a replacement for David May.

United were trailing 2-1 but eight minutes later the 23-year-old opened his goal account and rescued a point.

And an Old Trafford legend was born.

Solskjaer's arrival in Manchester in the summer of 1996 barely caused a ripple but three years later on a balmy evening in Barcelona he became a fully affiliated member of United's Hall of Fame.

That memorable Champions League final night in 1999 when he became the Reds trophy-winning hero justified the fierce determination and steadfast decision-making.

This was the player who at turned 21 refused to move from Molde because he didn't feel he was ready for a bigger stage.

The same player who shrugged off the fact he came to United in the wake of the snub for the Reds from £15m British record striker and England front man Alan Shearer.

The same player who when United gave the OK for him to be flogged to Spurs for a profit of £4m dug his heels in and said he had unfinished business at Old Trafford and was prepared to stay and battle for his place.

Resolve

That strength of resolve and conviction enabled him to put aside the disappointment of being a non-starter in Spain against Bayern Munich to turn the night for United and go down in folklore with a carefully outstretched leg.

It's the same fortitude that has characterised his courageous fight to overcome the knee injury that surfaced against Wolves in August 2003 exactly four years to the day when news broke late last night of his decision to retire.

Sadly it was one battle his brave resistance could no longer hold off.

Ultimately the knee problem - which, contrary to rumour, was not caused by his sliding celebration on that night in Barcelona - returned to wreck what had been a remarkable recovery story last autumn when he contributed 11 goals to United's season.

It was Jim Ryan who first told Alex Ferguson he had to snap up Solskjaer after spotting him playing for Norway against Azerbaijan in a World Cup qualifier.

And so on July 23 1996, Solskjaer slipped almost un- noticed into England to sign for the Reds for £1.5m. For all the momentous scoring moments he's had since, the memory of coming off the bench to score his first goal against Blackburn remains Ole's highlight.

"I've been asked many times what's the greatest moment of my United career," he said.

"Scoring that goal in my first game and turning round to see that Eric Cantona was the first one coming towards me to celebrate, that just made me realise, I'm at Old Trafford now."

His exploits before 1999 ensured he was a crowd favourite but those five months of that year nailed his place among the Edwards, Best, Law, Charlton, Robson and Cantona elite.

But on May 26 1999, putting the goal in the Germans' net sealed it.

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