Not how many had expected the season to end.
When Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho and became Manchester United’s interim manager, no one really expected much. Here was a manager who, to be brutally honest, had done his best work in Norway’s top flight and whose sole experience of English management had been a failure with Cardiff City.
In what was a shock to everyone, Solskjaer had an immediate positive impact at Old Trafford. Results immediately changed for the better, the players looked more confident, and the football being played by the team was evidence of this.
United were back, many said. Ole’s at the wheel, they also said. And then United eliminated Paris Saint-Germain in the second round of the Champions League in spectacular fashion and, somehow, the wheels fell off.
Solskjaer was given the job permanently and it got worse, and as Manchester United played their final game of the Premier League season – a 2-0 defeat to Cardiff City – it marked a fifth league game without victory.
After that game, Solskjaer cut a glum figure while speaking to media, and admitted that the season was a struggle.
In an indication of just how poor things currently are at the club, Solskjaer told journalists that he was grateful that the season had ended.
“[The] big plus [is that] the season is over,” he said, something that most Manchester United fans will agree with.
OGS: ‘Big plus the season is over’
— jamie jackson (@JamieJackson___) May 12, 2019
Solskjaer did, however, reserve praise for one player: youngster Mason Greenwood, whom he said had been the best player in a United shirt “by a mile”.
“Mason Greenwood was brilliant, he was our best player by a mile and that says a lot about the kid. He came into the team with a lack of confidence and you can see that has taken a toll. Not surprised by his performance, we know he is capable of that,” he said.
