Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted the one regret he has after the UEFA Europa League final defeat to Villarreal in the summer of 2021.
The Norwegian boss has given his first public interview following his sacking by United in the autumn of 2021.
It has always been perceived that something changed following the defeat in the European final.
Despite the manner of the loss, the Norwegian was rewarded with a new contract by the club, before being sacked four months later.
Well, Solskjaer has admitted the one mistake he made during the game in Gdansk that United lost on penalties.
Solskjaer’s European final mistake
The Norwegian has admitted that Nemanja Matic should have been brought on off the bench.
“I should have started or at least brought on Nemanja Matic against Villarreal,” Solskjaer admitted to The Athletic. “That game was for him. I didn’t choose him because I felt others deserved it.”
It’s hard to say whether the manner of the defeat was what affected Solskjaer’s time in Manchester the most.
For the majority of the season, the Red Devils were on the right track.
Solskjaer’s legacy
The Norwegian boss may have made some mistakes but his time in Manchester has been incredibly underrated amongst the fans and indeed the media.
A third and second-placed finish is nothing to turn your nose up at.
A Europa League final trophy may well have changed the perception of the Norwegian and it is almost cruel just how close he was to lifting a major trophy for the club he loves.
“There’s something missing: a trophy,” Solskjaer said. “One penalty could have changed that and my time there would have been viewed differently.”
The penalty shootout in Gdansk may well have been the sliding doors moment for the now 50-year-old manager.
Had United won that game, who knows what the following season would have brought.
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