Solskjaer singles out Manchester United duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Jesse Lingard for praise following Villareal win
According to BT Sport (h/t Express), Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lavished praise on Jesse Lingard and Cristiano Ronaldo following the stoppage-time win over Villarreal.
The Red Devils went into the game on the back of their opening day defeat to Young Boys. The Swiss side scored an injury-time winner to stun the English giants on gameday one.
The roles were reversed this time around as Ronaldo scored with seconds to spare. The goal led to frantic scenes at Old Trafford in what was largely a tense night.
According to the report, Solskjaer has gone on to reveal his faith in Ronaldo’s match-winning ability. The veteran at 36, remains one of the best in the game and can change a game on his own.
“When you’ve got Cristiano on the pitch, you’ve always got a chance.”
The Norwegian was quick to remind the overbearing impact a player such as Ronaldo can have on all stakeholders. Just that scene was visible at full-time when fans, players and the club as a whole rose to celebrate his contribution.
“Seriously, he’s so, so good in front of goal and he has an impact on everyone. The crowd, the players and the club as a whole.”
Unlike last time around, Lingard made a contribution this time at the right end. His subtle touch put Ronaldo in the right position to drive home the ball in the fourth minute of stoppage time. A small contribution, it made all the difference in the world at full-time.
Solskjaer admits that Lingard is in fact unhappy at being on the bench. However, it does hand United an excellent option to throw on when in need of boosting their attack.
“He comes on, makes an impact, and that’s what you do as a sub at this club.”
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United can count themselves lucky that Villarreal did not make their chances count. The Europa League champions were the better team on the night but failed to make their performance count.
That can be very dangerous when the other team has a player of Ronaldo’s calibre. Unai Emery and his side had to discover that the hard way tonight.
