Ole Gunnar Solskjaer aims De Gea shade and names four Man Utd games he refuses to rewatch

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a lingering regret about this spell as Manchester United manager: his failure to win a trophy. United became accustomed to promising cup runs under Solskjaer’s watch and came one step away from silverware by reaching the 2021 Europa League final.

The Red Devils were favourites as they faced Villarreal in Gdansk before a low-capacity crowd amid the Covid pandemic.

But Solskjaer endured heartbreak when his side lost 11-10 in a wild penalty shoot-out, in which David de Gea failed to save a single spot-kick before missing his own.

Knowing one Villarreal miss or De Gea netting his effort would’ve brought success still plays on Solskjaer’s mind.

But despite going trophy-less at Old Trafford, the Norwegian coach is convinced he laid the foundations of a successful team.

He told The Athletic: “Well, there’s something missing: a trophy. One penalty could have changed that [in the shoot-out defeat to Villarreal in the Europa League final], and my time there would be viewed differently.

“Trophies are important, but it was also important to lay the foundation of good performances. We managed to do that for a long time, consistently.

“Ultimately, that’s not good enough, but the remit I was given was to get fans smiling again, and we had something going.

“We were top of the league in September 2021. Cristiano Ronaldo came in, and Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho joined.

“And we’d gone strong by signing these players. It was about taking the next step to challenge for the title. And, unfortunately, it just didn’t work out.”

He has fond memories of his time helming the club where he became a footballing legend under Sir Alex Ferguson.

But Solskjaer has revealed he hasn’t had the strength to rewatch the Villarreal clash since.

It joins the 5-0 loss to Liverpool, the 6-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur and his final game, a 4-1 thrashing at Watford, as games he has chosen to ignore.

“Villarreal under Unai Emery were hard to break down. I’ve not watched it back. Not that one. Or Liverpool, Spurs or Watford. No chance,” Solskjaer added.

“I watched the rest. We were a decent side. But I should have started or at least brought on Nemanja Matic against Villarreal. That game was for him. I didn’t choose him because I felt others deserved it.

“It’s difficult to leave players out, but you have to take risks. I risked kids for the final game of 2020-21 at Wolves, risked an unbeaten away record. I was proud of how those kids reacted [in a 2-1 win].”