Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has said the club must aspire to reach Barcelona’s level, after the Spanish side knocked them out of the Champions League on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi inspired Barca to a 3-0 win in the quarter-final second leg, to seal a 4-0 aggregate victory.
“If we want to get back to Man Utd’s true level, true traditions, we have to challenge Barcelona,” Solskjaer told BT Sport after the game.
“They were a couple of levels above over the two games.”
Messi scored two goals in four minutes in the first half, with Philippe Coutinho adding a stunning long-range effort in the 61st minute.
United struggled to contain their opponents, and had just three shots on target in both legs.
“I have to say Lionel Messi is top quality and he was the difference of course. At 2-0, straight after, it was game over.
“He’s different class, he and Cristiano Ronaldo are the best players of the last decade, everyone agrees on that one.
“Messi showed his quality,” he added.
United face the battle to qualify for next season’s European elite club competition, with only five games left to play in the Premier League.
They are sixth in the table, two points behind fourth-placed Arsenal. They travel to Everton on Sunday, before hosting Manchester City on April 24.
“We want to play these games again next year so we have a massive week coming up.
“There is no point dwelling on what could have been, we have to focus on that week.”
“The next few years will be massive for us”, he also stated.
Also, the club have not reached the semi-final of the competition since 2011, and were playing in this stage for the first time in five years.
The 46-year-old Norwegian manager said he knows there is “work to be done”.
“We have said all along that this isn’t going to change tonight and the next few years will be massive for us to get to the level of Barcelona.
“We have got good players and at the moment we really have done well to get to the quarters [of the Champions League] and to get in the challenge for the top four.
“We have got a rebuilding job but that starts with the coaches and the players and one or two additions to the squad will happen in the summer, he further said.
You Must logged in to add comments. Login