Man United: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer set for new contract despite Europa League final loss

  Manchester United fans will be eager to forget the 2020/21 Europa League final. The Red Devils went into the game against Villarreal in Gd...

 

Manchester United fans will be eager to forget the 2020/21 Europa League final.

The Red Devils went into the game against Villarreal in Gdansk as big favourites to win, but they were defeated 11-10 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw after normal and extra time.

It was David de Gea's miss from 12 yards that handed Unai Emery his fourth Europa League trophy as a manager.

That was rather cruel on the goalkeeper and the majority of the blame for United's defeat should not be aimed at the Spaniard.

The Red Devils as a whole were simply not good enough in both normal time and extra time, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's in-game management the subject of much criticism.

Solskjaer didn't make a substitution until the 100th-minute, a decision that gets more baffling every single time you think about it.

Yet despite the team's failure in Gdansk, the Norwegian manager is set to be rewarded with a new three-year deal at the club.

As reported by The Telegraph, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward - who will leave United at the end of the year - believes Solskjaer is the right man for the job after he guided the team to a second-place finish in the Premier League.

Woodward will also see to it that Solskjaer is backed in the transfer market this summer, with the club looking to sign a new wide-forward, defender and central midfielder.

It's certainly a big call from the United hierarchy after Wednesday night's disaster, but there is no denying that the team showed signs of improvement in 2020/21.

As well as finishing second behind Manchester City, the Red Devils went the entire Premier League season unbeaten away from home.

The report of a potential new deal for Solskjaer has certainly come at the worst possible time. Nevertheless, you can still understand why United are keen to tie him down to a new contract.

That being said, the 48-year-old cannot afford a repeat of Gdansk in the near future...