A trophy for Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would give real belief

There was definitely some merit in what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer preached before this statement victory. Manchester United, to his mind, should be judged by how it is going in the Premier League. 

He pointed towards the point swing on this time last season as proof they head in the correct direction.

That is all true, although improvement was a non-negotiable given they finished 33 points behind champions Liverpool.  

So while the additional 12 points at the same stage this year is progress, much less might have represented something of an underachievement. 

In his address, Solskjaer mentioned that lifting cup competitions are for the egotistical, basically the Jose Mourinhos of this world, and can mask deep-rooted deficiencies at the heart of a club.

Mourinho won two of them in his first year, of course – one being this very competition – before his tenure unravelled.

Solskjaer could surely do with a trophy though, and there is nothing wrong with a bit of ego. Cultural reset or not, a four-year drought is nowhere near acceptable for a club of United’s stature and so nights like this should perhaps take more prominence than their manager suggested.

That is why for the players, Thursday night was such a significant one, even in an echoing San Siro. 

Ahead of a huge few days, with Leicester City to come in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday, United needed to demonstrate they can find a way in these tight knockout games.

‘It’s not like a trophy will say that we’re back, no,’ Solskjaer reasoned. Maybe not completely, but it will offer a feeling of belief that can be harnessed.