Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has expressed grave concern that his former club are too easily accepting defeat following the Red Devils’ loss on penalties to Villarreal in the Europa League Final after another trophyless run.
Ole Gunnar Solkjaer’s team were edged out 11-10 on penalties in the Europa League Final, with goalkeeper David De Gea missing his decisive spot kick following a 1-1 draw with Villarreal.
It’s been four years since United have won any silverware since then manager Jose Mourinho won both the League Cup and the Europa League for the Red Devils in 2017. Since then, current boss Solskjaer has been laboring under immense pressure to end their barren run but, sadly, losing to Villarreal on penalties didn’t add any positives to his CV.
After the full-time whistle, United legend Scholes questioned if high enough demands are being set for the Manchester United players:
“It’s difficult to come out of that game and give them credit,” said the ex-United midfielder on BT Sport.
“They weren’t very good tonight, they’ll hold their hands up, the manager will hold his hands up. But overall, there’s been progress.
“The thing I worry about, does losing hurt them enough?
“As a United player, when you lose games, look at the last three or four weeks – they’ve lost games, does it really hurt?”
Since United’s last success eons ago, they’ve finished runners-up in the FA Cup final, runners-up in the UEFA Super Cup and, in Solskjaers’s first full season, they predictably crashed out in the semi-finals stage of every competition they entered.
That’s a strange version of consistency coming sadly from the most decorated club in English football history.
This season, the Red Devils also exited the Champions League kamikaze-style when leading Group H with only two games to play, United lost back-to-back matches against PSG and RB Leipzig and descended into the Europa League.
Scholes believes the dressing room culture at Old Trafford is one of defeat:
“It’s almost become an accepted thing. From Ole’s point of view, where’s the demands on him?
“I don’t think they’ll be saying you have to win a trophy or you’re gone.
“He’s made progress, which is progress from the last three or four years, but if you go back further, then clearly not because this club expects to win trophies.”
The Europa League Final defeat was Man Utd’s 63rd and final game in a gruelling long season that had promised great things but in the end remained just that – promises.
With no trophies to show, it’ll be a painful summer of licking their self-inflicted wounds before returning to, hopefully again, put it right next season.