Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes aim at his Manchester United predecessors over trophy obsession

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has taken a swipe at his Manchester United predecessors for their fixation on trophies, as he insists his Old Trafford rebuild is showing sure signs of progress.

The Norwegian has been in charge at United for two-and-a-half years, with the club reaching four semi-finals in all competitions during his reign, but losing each of them. They are, however, sat second in the Premier League – 12 points better off than at the same stage in 2020. 

It is now four years since the club, who became synonymous with success under Sir Alex Ferguson, last lifted any major trophy.

That came courtesy of Jose Mourinho, who led the side to three separate success during his time in charge, lifting the League Cup and Europa League, while the Portuguese would also point out their Community Shield success.

Before him, Louis van Gaal led the club to FA Cup success, but failed to finish inside the top four.  

And Solskjaer has questioned the logic behind chasing cup accolades, suggesting that it does nothing but fulfil the ‘ego’ of managers.

‘When you see the culture here, I see progress every day. It’s for others how much to assess there’s been an improvement,’ said the 48-year-old ahead of United’s Europa League last-16 clash with AC Milan.

‘We’re all aiming to win trophies at this club, but sometimes the trophy can hide other things that are happening at the club.

‘It’s in the league positions that you see whether you’re progressing, really. The cups you can be lucky or unlucky. Of course we’re aiming to win, that’s why you play football.

‘I felt a big rebuild had to be made. The league is always the bread and butter and that’s when you see how capable you are.

‘The cups are sometimes an ego thing for managers and clubs. It’s not like a trophy will say ‘we are back’, no. It’s gradual progression at the top of the league. Sometimes the cup competitions can hide your progress a bit.’