Solskjaer's reaction to Cardiff defeat
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reflected on a disappointing day for Manchester United as the Reds' final match of the 2018/19 season ended in a 2-0 defeat to Cardiff City at Old Trafford.
With the boss making six changes to the line-up, including handing a start to 17-year-old Mason Greenwood, United started brightly and had chances to make the early breakthrough before conceding a penalty midway through the first half. Nathaniel Mendez-Liang delivered from the spot, before doubling the Bluebirds' lead after the break on an afternoon to forget.
Speaking to MUTV and BBC Sport afterwards, the boss delivered his assessment on the game, the performance of Greenwood, the unbelievable support from the fans and what needs to be done over the summer before the squad gears up for the new campaign.
GREENWOOD WAS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT
"Yeah, it’s so disappointing again, but then again the facts and reality are we created chances. Mason was absolutely brilliant, got the crowd going, got the players going, but that’s a 17-year-old making his full debut and he’s the bright light."
Ole: We have a very big job ahead
"We have a very, very big job ahead of us and we all want to get back to where we belong ," says Solskjaer...
"He was our best player by a mile. He came into the team with a lack of confidence and you can see that has take a total. Not surprised by his performance, we know he is capable of that."
THE SUPPORTERS ARE INCREDIBLE
"Their support has always been with the team and with me, for that matter. It’s almost embarrassing walking around that pitch, but the crowd and our supporters are unbelievable and they support us no matter what.
"They know we have a very, very big job ahead of us and we all want to get back to where we belong which is higher up the table. At the moment, there are two teams far ahead of us. We’re four or five, six points behind the next positions and we’ve got to claw ourselves closer to the top two and the others."
NOT ALL ABOUT TODAY
"Today is not a measure of where we’re at. Today was loads of young players, a front six were all Academy lads who we gave a chance to and who knows what this means. We’re not where we want to be. We were in with a shout but, in the last two games, we’ve let ourselves down performance-wise. We should have won against two relegated teams and, of course, that’s a reality check for everyone. This league is a tough one no matter who you play, and it’s a long one. Towards the end, we’ve performed under-par. We had a very good period halfway through the season and towards the end we’ve dropped off.
United 0 Cardiff 2: Ole's press conference
Watch the manager's post-match press conference in full following the final match of the season...
WE'LL GET THE POSITIVITY BACK
"The boys need a break, because they worked extremely hard to give us a chance to challenge for the top four which was nearly impossible around Christmas time. Then we had a bad, bad period towards the end.
"They’re good players you know, but they’ve hit a brick wall more or less towards the end and we’ll get them positive again, optimistic again. Today, we created an unbelievable amount of chances, we just couldn’t score, and that’s human nature. When you’re not confident, feeling the world’s against you, those margins will go against you."
THE HARD WORK STARTS NOW
"The work starts now, everyone has the summer off but we have to come back with a different mentality and different attitude of being a Man United team."
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