With Manchester United falling 2-0 to relegated Cardiff City to close out the campaign, a broken Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told the media that the club still has a lot of work to do to regain its former glory.
“More or less the only positive from today is that the season is over,” a despondent Solskjaer said after the loss, which completed Manchester United’s season-ending tailspin that featured just one win in the final seven matches of the campaign.
“To reach the leaders it will take a long time,” Solskjaer said, admitting the supporters must understand the club needs realistic ambitions while they search for the right formula. “For ourselves, the short-term focus in the league will be getting into the top four. We have got the Europa League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup to go for a trophy because Manchester United can’t go many years without winning a trophy. Jose [Mourinho] won the Europa League last and that is a realistic ambition.”
It has been six years since Manchester United last won a Premier League title, as the club continues to search for a light at the end of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson tunnel. Solskjaer appeared to be the answer, with the club on a 12-match Premier League unbeaten run to start his tenure, but they fell off the map after that, winning just two of their last nine league matches and ending on a four-match winless run.
“The last couple of months have been extremely hard for the team, the club and for the players,” Solskjaer said.
Supporters are beginning to get restless with the club’s character, as video on social media showed Paul Pogba receiving abuse from his own supporters during the club’s lap of honor around Old Trafford after the loss.