Manchester United boss hopes that winning the Europa League final against Villarreal will instigate hunger among the players to win more trophies.
After finishing fourth in the Premier League, The Red are set to face Villarreal in the Europa League final, which will happen in Gdansk, Poland on Wednesday.
United, who got knocked out of the Champions League group stage, played the knockout stages of the Europa League. Since then, they beat Real Sociedad in the round of 32, AC Milan in the next round, Granada in the quarter-finals, and finally Roma in the semi-finals to reach the grand stage. United will play in their eighth European final and are on the road to win their first trophy since the Europa League win back in 2017. This will also be their first trophy under the Norwegian, who has now managed the club for the past three years.
The manager is optimistic about the team’s growth and performance, and also believes that they are a win away from new happenings in the club.
“This is a team that we’ve rebuilt in the last few years. Hopefully this is the start of something more. This is the best club in the world,”
“That’s the pleasure and the pressure of Manchester United. That’s something the players are ready for. They wouldn’t have signed here if they weren’t top players.
he said.
Former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who won the historic treble exactly 22 years back, also travelled with the team to Poland. Ole was filled with gratitude when asked about the former manager.
“He’s a special man and he’s like an encyclopedia of football, even though I got him on a quiz question yesterday. Just to have him around when we eat, if the players wonder about something they can ask him, he’s always available for a chat because this is the club of his heart,”
Solskjaer stated.
Unai Emery, who has already lifted the trophy thrice with Sevilla and guided Arsenal to the final in 2019, is looking forward to this final and is hopeful of guiding Villarreal to their first major European Trophy.
“One of the aims of Villarreal was to break down barriers. We’ve broken the barrier of the semifinal in Europe and we feel proud of the work we have done.”
“We now have a responsibility to take a step forward. We need to enjoy this final and think about winning. We deserve to be in the final and to give our players the best tools possible to perform well in this final.”
Bruno Fernandes is expected to score tonight, having scored six goals and four assists in this year’s Europa League. Gerard Moreno, the Spanish striker, is a key performer for Villarreal with six goals and five assists to his name.
Man Utd captain Harry Maguire is set to miss out, and that is a major blow for the team. Still, United should start as the favourites considering their recent form and the quality of players they have in their ranks.
