Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has slammed some of his former Manchester United players for ‘not caring’ and giving up on him during his spell as manager.
Solskjaer was in charge of United between 2018 and 2021 but failed to land any major silverware, with the Red Devils finishing as Europa League runners-up.
The Norwegian, who has been linked with becoming interim manager of Bayern Munich, admits there were ‘many lows’ during his time at Old Trafford and that he felt ’embarrassed’ when United went 3-0 down to Watford before he was sacked.
Solskjaer also argued that finishing second and third with the squad he had was an ‘achievement’ and he appeared to aim a dig at Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, insisting the Spaniard’s style of football is not his ‘cup of tea’.
‘There were many lows,’ Solskjaer told The National. ‘I’m one of them who looks back at the lows more than the highs.
‘The end at Watford, well you can’t get lower than that. I more or less knew at half time, so my team talk was about enjoying the last 45 minutes together and giving their all.
‘Some of them had stopped running, caring. But then in the second half we played well. Donny [Van de Beek] came on and scored.
‘We should have scored more. Then we got a sending off. 2-1 until the 94th minute.
‘It sounds really bad that it was a 4-1 defeat. It was bad to lose against Watford but it wasn’t a 4-1 game.’
Pressed further about watching his team lose from the sidelines, Solskjaer added: ‘It’s the loneliest place in the world, it’s horrible.
‘You want to sit down. You’re 3-0 down but you’re a bit embarrassed but you have to stand up and never give up. You have to stand up and show that this is your team, you’ve picked the team. And I’ve never shied from that responsibility.
‘I didn’t win a trophy at United and I know that matters. I was a penalty kick away from winning one against Villarreal [in the 2021 Europa League final].
‘But I fulfilled my initial remit at United. Got people smiling again. Get the team winning. Lay down the foundations for good performances against all teams. And I did that.
‘We were unbeaten away from home for 29 games. It’s not easy to do that. We went to places like Manchester City and beat them. We didn’t win the league but, trust me, to finish second and third with the squad I had was an achievement.’
Speaking about his Manchester rivals, Solskjaer said: ‘City are always interesting to watch.
‘It’s not my cup of tea in terms of how many penetrating passes they turn down when they go forward, but they win. And Erling [Haaland] will score more often if they play him, but they might lose the ball more often.’
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