United fired Mourinho Tuesday with the club languishing in sixth place in the English Premier League, 19 points behind leaders Liverpool after Sunday’s insipid 3-1 defeat at Anfield.
Solskjaer, who recently signed a new deal as manager of Norwegian club Molde, will take charge of his first match on Saturday, against Cardiff City — a club he previously managed without much success.
In a statement, United’s chief executive Ed Woodward said: “Ole is a club legend with huge experience, both on the pitch and in coaching roles.
Nicknamed the “baby-faced Assassin,” Solskjaer scored 126 goals in 366 appearances for United during Ferguson’s trophy-laden years, coming off the bench in the Champions League final in 1999 to secure a dramatic victory for United in the dying moments of the match.
In 2008, he started his coaching career as United’s reserve team manager before becoming boss of Molde.
His sole experience of managing in the English Premier League was unsuccessful. The Norwegian was in charge of Cardiff when the Welsh side was relegated to English football’s second tier in May 2014.