Debut: 1-1 draw vs Watford, August 28th 1984
League Record: 119 games (+20 as sub), 21 goals
Sold to: Bordeaux (£400,000), November 1988
Flying Danish winger in the old-school mould (for better and worse), Olsen was brought to United, along with Gordon Strachan and Alan Brazil, with the proceeds from the sale of Ray Wilkins to AC Milan. Also the first overseas player we'll come across.
He was signed from Ajax Amsterdam, where he'd played alongside Johann Cruyff and alongside the old master, pulled off one of the most clever/controversial penalties of all time. Readers may recall Arsenal trying the same thing without the same outcome.
Olsen was also part of a very good Danish national team that had made a name for themselves in the 1984 European Championships - and it had been our man that played a big part in the qualifying rounds of ensuring England weren't there at all.
At United, he was recommended by our own Dutch maestro, Arnold Muhren, who had played for Ajax in the 70s before moving to England with Ipswich Town. His signing to us on a free transfer in 1982 would prove to be one of Ron Atkinson's most astute moves: despite being the wrong side of 30, Muhren had one of the best left foots in the game and scored the final goal from the penalty spot in the 1983 FA Cup final replay.
In hindsight, Atkinson may have been too keen to play Olsen ahead of the veteran, as the Dane's form would be erratic throughout his United career. Muhren would claim United never used Olsen in the right way, while also stating his frustration that when he played well in the games he did get, he'd always be dropped when his 'replacement' was match fit again. At the end of the 1984/85 season, he was granted a free transfer back to Ajax, where he continued to maintain his high standards to the degree he regained his place in the Netherlands team, starring in the 1988 European Championships at the age of 37.
Olsen was also at that tournament, but didn't play any games, his career having lost momentum. Despite a good first season, he never really found the consistency or regular rhythm to his game, unlike Gordon Strachan on the other wing.
The 1986 World Cup initially provided a good distraction: the Danes got through the group stage in some style, hammering Uruguay 6-1 and beating a strong West German side 2-0. Olsen was playing well and in the first knockout game against Spain, opened the scoring from the penalty spot. Unfortunately, he dropped a major clanger by directing a pass back to his keeper straight into the path of Emilio Butragueno, the best striker on the pitch. "The Vulture" slotted it away and went on to score four as the Spanish won 5-1.
Perhaps he was taking out this frustration in a training incident that started with him making a somewhat late tackle on a teammate. Sadly for Olsen, he did it son Remi Moses, a tough-as-bricks midfield warrior brought up in the less-than-salubrious North Manchester area of Miles Platting. Moses got up and pounded his apparent team-mate senseless.
By 1988, it seemed clear new manager Alex Ferguson had also seen enough. With only two goals in 30 games throughout 1987/88 season, the writing was on the wall and when his form failed to reignite the next season, he was sold off. Despite only being 27, he looked like he had nothing left in the tank - and after a few seasons playing in French football, he retired in 1992.
Nowadays, he's living in Australia and after surviving a brain haemorrhage in 2006, is working with Aussie league club Melbourne Heart. Looking at pictures of him, it seems illness hasn't affected him too badly, as he doesn't look that different from when he was in a red shirt.
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