Solskjaer: Europa League ‘right place’ for United

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer has said that the Europa League is the right place for his side after they played out to a frustrating 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town at the weekend.

The result, which came against the worst side in the Premier League this season, epitomises United’s current form. Solskjaer’s side have managed to win just two out of their previous 11 matches.

Accordingly, the Norwegian feels that the Europa League will be the right environment for his side to ply their trade in next season. As quoted by The Irish Times, he said: “We played some good stuff for half an hour but when we created opportunities we didn’t take them. We didn’t capitalise when we were on top and then we became sloppy.

“We didn’t perform to the required level, and though we are all disappointed not to be in the Champions League next season the Europa League is probably the right place for us at the moment. We have been inconsistent over the season but also within games, and where we are now is possibly a true reflection of what we deserve. The league table does not lie. We’ve had plenty of opportunities to grab third or fourth place but we were not able to do it.”

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The former Red Devils striker took over at Old Trafford initially on an interim basis following the sacking of Jose Mourinho. At the time, United looked as though they were certain to not secure a top-four finish this term. Following the appointment of Solskjaer however, the club underwent a revival and even managed to reach the quarter-finals of this seasons Champions League before being eliminated by Barcelona.

Solksjaer has done decently with the resources he has had over the past few months. Now it will be up to the United board to back him sufficiently during the summer transfer window if they want to see sustainable improvement. The club needs to bring in a new right-back, midfielder and striker. They also need to offload Alexis Sanchez and find replacements for key players who could be departing this summer, such as Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera and Juan Mata.

Featured image credit: Tor Atle Kleven [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons