Europa League final will be special moment, No.26 is good omen – Solskjaer

MANCHESTER United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is eagerly anticipating his first final as the club’s boss.

The Norwegian will lead out the Red Devils against Villarreal in the UEFA Europa League final in Gdansk, Poland on Wednesday in search of his first European trophy as a coach and his first piece of silverware as United manager.

“I’m not one to think about how proud I am, but of course it’s going to be a special moment,” Solskjaer said during his press conference on Tuesday.

“You’ve got to be proud to be able to lead a Manchester United team out to a final. It’s been a fantastic journey and, as we say in Norwegian, veien er målet (the goal is the journey). You’ve got to enjoy the journey.

“This is just a step on the road to bringing our Man United back. If you can win a trophy, fantastic, but either way I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m going to enjoy the night, but when the night is over, you sit back down, you travel back to Norway for a summer holiday and the mind has to switch to next season again. That’s just how it is.”

Solskjaer led United to the semifinals of the Europa League last season where they lost to eventual winners Sevilla, and he says he learned from the experience.

“In the Europa League you play teams you don’t normally meet,” he explained. “There’s good talent and good teams out there, and you soon learn that the difference between the top teams and the second-best teams is not too big.

“You can’t switch off. This run has felt like a Champions League run. There have been Spanish teams, Italian teams, and we’ve really had to play our best football.”

Solskjaer has faced Villarreal manager Unai Emery in the past both as Molde and United boss, and he sings the praises of the Spaniard.

The former Manchester United striker said: “He’s a winner. I really like him as a human being. We’ve had some really good chats after games. Win or lose, he’s still so respectful and spends time with you, which I think is very important.

“I remember the first meeting, of course, at Sevilla; they beat us [Molde] 3-0. We managed to beat them at home. With Arsenal, of course, it was a difficult period for him. The way he’s come back with Villarreal, you can see it’s his team again. A tight unit, a team that works for each other, with room for individual brilliance.”

Solskjaer was drawn into a bit of superstition when he was reminded his birthday is on 26 February and the Champions League final in 1999 where he scored a late winning goal for Manchester United was on 26 May, the same date as the Europa League final.
When he was asked if he believed in destiny, he replied: “My wife’s birthday is on the 26th; we got married on the 26th, so I have to believe in destiny, or skjebne [in Norwegian]. It’s a special number for us, for my family as well. I’ve got to take this as a good omen. I’m not very superstitious but it looks like a good sign.”