Solskjaer: Today made me smile
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he was proud of his Manchester United side, who came away from Molineux with all three points on the final day of the Premier League season following a 2-1 win over Wolves.
Anthony Elanga netted his first senior goal for United in the opening moments, before Juan Mata’s penalty, just before the break, turned out to be the winner after the Spaniard had restored the Reds’ lead following Nelson Semedo’s equaliser for the hosts.
With the Europa League final just three days away, Ole named a much-changed starting XI including a mix of youth and experience for the final-day contest at Molineux, and was impressed with his side’s performance.
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MANAGER'S PRIDE
"[I’m] very happy. Proud of them. [The lads] took the ball well, created chances and got the win they deserved,” he said speaking after the final whistle. Today just made me smile, all these players expressing themselves like we want to see and no injuries. We had the pace and enthusiasm of [Anthony] Elanga and Amad, Dan James, then you've got Donny [van de Beek], Nema [Matic] and Juan [Mata] who have got all the experience and quality. It worked well."
“You’d like to say you that you would see some of these in the future, of course. I think it was a game in the spirit of Man United, Sir Alex and Sir Matt, that you give kids the chance. My job is to do my best for Man United, and I felt today, as I said before, it was a Man United-spirited performances with loads of kids that made their debuts, Elanga scored his first goal, so today I was really proud of them.”
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"He could have scored once or twice before but to keep getting in there, keep making the runs, keep being positive. He’s got such an enthusiasm and energy for football and a desire that I love. He deserved it. What you maybe don't see is his attitude, desire, a personality. He’s a very humble lad, works really hard, he’s got some attributes that you could wish for as a player. As you said, that pace, directness, he’s right-footed but equally good on his left. I’ve not really seen him score headers like this, so that was a big bonus as well. The future’s bright for him I think and I know and trust him to keep his feet on the ground and make the most of his talent.”
UNBEATEN AWAY ALL SEASON
“It was about time we did it, we haven’t done it before. What an achievement by all the players, they’ve been excellent and I knew we put this record on the line by making all these changes but we had to. One because we believe in these players, and two because the other players that have played so much this season needed an energy boost for Wednesday.”
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DEALING WITH PRESSURE
“You always feel pressure at Man United to win things, to win trophies, of course. That’s one of the steps. I’ve said it before, a trophy can hide other imperfections. I think the progress in the league, going to semi-finals, I think it shows progress. My discussions with the club, the dialogue we have, we see we have improved. The next step is to win trophies and hopefully challenge the champions in the Premier League as well.”