Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists the pressure of managing Manchester United is a ‘privilege’

Four months on from that agonising night in Gdansk and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s failure to deliver his first trophy as Manchester United manager still hangs over him.

What should have been a moment of celebration in May ended with defeat in a marathon penalty shoot-out to Villarreal and questions about Solskjaer’s ability to bring back the glory days to Old Trafford. Those questions have not gone away.

One by one, Solskjaer’s old teammates have warned the Norwegian that he needs tangible proof of the progress he is making or else, with Gary Neville the latest pundit to echo the thoughts of Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes and Teddy Sheringham.

Presented with Neville’s comments on the eve of tonight’s rematch with Villarreal in the Champions League, Solskjaer at least took it in good heart.

‘He’s always got loads to say, Gary,’ smiled the United manager. 

‘I’m used to Gary. He’s always said a lot, even when I was sat next to him in the dressing-room. Just fire away.’

Solskjaer’s response was to insist he has the backing of the Old Trafford board and there is nothing to suggest he is wrong in that assumption.

However, the 48-year-old also acknowledged that he is in a results business and the simple fact is that results have not been good enough of late.

United have lost three of their last four games in all competitions and are trying to avoid a third home defeat in the space of a week tonight.

Conceding a late winner to Young Boys in Switzerland a fortnight ago consigned Solskjaer to his seventh defeat in 11 Champions League games as United boss and has put a very different complexion on what looked like a straightforward Group F.

‘The pressure is a privilege,’ he said on Tuesday. ‘To work in this environment, you have to embrace that pressure.

‘If Gary says we need to win a trophy this season or next because of the backing, I have to say, yes, I have been backed.

‘I have to say the backing I’ve got seems to me that we’re sticking to that plan. But we’re in a results business. I’m here to win, don’t think twice about that, and Gary knows that. 

‘He knows the DNA here at the club and what we’re trying to do. Of course, I speak to Gary as well and I know that we have an obligation to win at this club and win in a certain style.

‘Sometimes that’s risky and you lose one or two but we’ll get there. Hopefully we’ll get there around April or May, challenging for the trophies we’d like to see back at Old Trafford.’

Redemption will not be easy against a Villarreal side who were a match for United in Gdansk — and for Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup last month which was also decided on penalties.

That draw and a 2-2 result against the Italians of Atalanta in the group opener means Villarreal have not lost to non-Spanish opposition in the last 26 European games.

Head coach Unai Emery is only too aware how ruthless the Premier League can be, having lasted just 18 months as Arsenal manager before his sacking in 2019, and he believes United need to show patience.

‘Solskjaer has a lot of support and respect,’ said Emery. ‘This year he has many challenges ahead and it is true that he has had some negative results, but it wouldn’t be wise for the club to change the vision they have for the head coach. I’ve lived that when I was at Arsenal.’

Emery will be without danger man Gerard Moreno, who scored the opening goal in the final in May, while Solskjaer’s defence has been disrupted by injuries to Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s suspension.

‘It’s the group stage and there are only six games,’ said Solskjaer. ‘You need 10 or maybe 12 points to get through and we lost three points last time.

‘Atalanta and Villarreal drew so maybe a point is not good enough for them either. If you end up with zero or one point after two games, you probably need to win the last four.

‘It’s still not a must-win game — but it’s a definitely a very important game.’