Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Manchester United 2018-19Getty Images

Solskjaer: Man Utd will have 'no excuses' for another bad season

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United are determined to come back stronger after the summer break and will have "no excuses" for failing to improve on their disappointing season.

United finished sixth in the Premier League after a tumultuous campaign that saw Solskjaer take the helm in December after Jose Mourinho was sacked.

Although the Red Devils had a bright start under the Norwegian, they won just two of their last 10 matches after he was handed a contract in March that confirmed him as permanent coach.

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Solskjaer believes the rough end to the season may come as a blessing in disguise, as it has encouraged him to work even harder to improve as a coach and get his team in shape for a strong start to 2019-20.

“I've only been here five months but you get more energy off working and sometimes, sadly but it's true, you get more energy when it goes against you,” Solskjaer told MUTV.

“You get more energy because you’re determined to come back a better team and a better coach, to help the players improve and be even better.

"Yeah it’s nice, winning, don’t get me wrong. But when you get a season like we’ve had, I think everyone wants to show what we can do, because they’re proud players and we're proud coaches.

“You can’t forget [about last season]. You have to learn from your mistakes as well. We want to learn more from what we did right.”

He added: "We’re going to sit down and go through all the plans with the physical coaches and with the coaches and we’ll be ready when 1 July comes. There are not going to be any excuses."

The former United striker says he will work through the summer and is still analysing his side's disappointing performances to see where their campaign fell apart.

“You know, you never get a break from football. You [always] think about it," he said. "Even if I’m back home now in Norway, I’m watching games and analysing games from towards the end of the season. What went wrong and what went well.

“That’s just me. It gives me energy, working with football and thinking how to improve players and the team and how we should get ready. It’s just a lifestyle and what we do. I do get a break from the other stuff, though. Being here [at home], my shoulders just drop down [and relax].

“I don’t want to switch off completely. I can switch off the phone once in a while, but you don’t switch off the brain. Maybe there will be a day or two without thinking about it but, of course, we’ve got a big job preparing for next season with player logistics and training logistics.”

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