Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confessed that Manchester United are in the middle of a rebuild that will take years to complete.
Solskjaer was named United’s permanent manager in March after initially impressing following his appointment on an interim basis in December.
But after winning 10 of Solskjaer’s first 11 games in charge, United have recently come back to earth by losing five of their past seven matches.
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After falling to Barcelona in the Champions League this week, Solskjaer now has his sights set on a top-four finish in the Premier League.
“We plan to be in the top four, we plan to be in the Champions League next season and we want players who can keep us in the Champions League and move us up the table,” Solskjær said.
“But we know there is not going to be a quick fix. We have to take it step by step.”
United are in sixth place ahead of Sunday’s game against Everton, two points behind fourth-place Arsenal.
There has been plenty of talk about Solskjaer’s summer transfer plans, with several big names mentioned as targets.
Solskjaer is hoping to bring in new signings but is not expecting a huge amount, with his side’s rebuild likely to last several windows.
“There will be new players coming in over summer but I don’t think you can expect six. I don’t think any manager you ask would be in favour of that amount of change anyway,” Solskjaer said.
“We want to rebuild but it is going to have to be gradual, over a few windows.”
Solskjaer is well known for his time as a player at Old Trafford and is hoping to build a culture at the club that is similar to the team’s glory days under Sir Alex Ferguson.
“When I was given the job there was an understanding that we had to get Manchester United’s DNA back into the club and the team,” Solskjaer said. “That doesn’t mean I want to live in the past. It would be naive to tell players to do all the same things we did when I played. But I want to create a culture that we all believe in.
“When I played the manager trusted us and we took responsibility for our own careers. If anyone stepped out of bounds, they wouldn’t stay here long. That’s the way it has to be at a club like this.”
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