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Manchester United welcomed Cardiff City to Old Trafford on a day where all eyes were on Liverpool and Manchester City. Sadly for United, they were out of the title race long ago and had no involvement in the top four race anymore either. Solskjaer's men hardly had anything but pride on their minds as they prepared for the final day of the season.
For Solskjaer though, the day had a bittersweet feel about it. He was up against the first club he managed in the Premier League, Cardiff City and they were also the first opposition for him as a United manager. The Red Devils blew the same opponents away with a 5-1 scoreline in the Norwegian's first game in charge. Solskjaer would have loved a repeat of the same scoreline, to finish the season on a high.
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Perhaps as a sign of things to come, Solskjaer opted for an influx of youth in his final team of the season. He started with de Gea in goal, with Dalot, Smalling, Jones and Young making up the back four. The midfield consisted of Andreas Pereira, Scot McTominay and Paul Pogba. Up front, Solskjaer opted for Lingard, Greenwood and Rashford.
United started the game very well but were unfortunate to give away a penalty in the 23rd minute. Nathaniel Mendez-Laing scored from the spot to give Cardiff a lead, against the run of the play. United rallied, but failed to find a breakthrough and were 2-0 down in the 54th minute when Mendez-Laing scored again. The game ended 2-0, ensuring a sad end to the season for Solskjaer.
His team failed to turn up for the game, but Solskjaer will be extremely disappointed with the performance of these 5 men.
#5 Chris Smalling
The Englishman started alongside Phil Jones as Solskjaer reverted back to his most experienced centre back pair for the final game of the season. However, Smalling hardly justified his selection and was extremely poor on the night.
Even though United started the game brighter, every time Cardiff came knocking, United looked vulnerable at the back. Smalling was especially guilty with his poor positioning which put United in awkward situations. He was also appalling with the ball at his feet and his distribution from the back left a lot to be desired.
His position ultimately cost United the second goal and cost them the game.
#4 Phil Jones
Phil Jones gave another typical performance on the pitch, which asked a lot of questions about his future. The Englishman looked worried every time he had to face a one on one situation and the Cardiff forwards tormented him with ease. He did pick up an injury and was substituted at halftime, but even before that, the Englishman did not warrant a place in the team in the second half.
The Englishman has been underperforming for quite a few seasons now and this game clearly showed that Solskjaer has a decision in his hands. Jones is a liability and has failed to improve even though he has received more chances than he deserved.
On the final day too, the Englishman was no different on the pitch. There was nothing to suggest that Phil Jones should be at the heart of the defence next season, as Solskjaer looks to rebuild this team from scratch.
#3 Ashley Young
Stand-in captain Ashley Young gave another indifferent performance on the pitch. His selection over Luke Shaw was surprising, especially since Shaw had recently been selected as the Manchester United player of the year.
Solskjaer’s indulgence in Young has started to cost United now and against Cardiff, the Englishman showed no signs to justify his appearance on the pitch yet again.
Young failed to have an impact on the game through the wings. He had no contribution in attack and failed to complement the United wide players. His positioning was a liability too, as United were regularly caught out at the back by a rampant Cardiff team who played without fear.
Young also failed to rally his team and inspire them on the night, and it would not be too harsh to say that he does not deserve the armband that he has been wearing in Valencia’s absence.
#2 Paul Pogba
There was a moment on the game when Pogba received a ball from Rashford near the box and waited for a split second for the striker to run into the box. The Frenchman then back heeled the ball straight to the keeper!
It resulted in a ring of boos from the crowd, but it was not the only time on the night that Pogba was booed. He tried the fancy pass on quite a few occasions and failed miserably, piling on the frustration at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman could not stamp his authority on the game on a night when he had a lot of attacking options ahead of him. Pogba also seemed too selfish at the time, going for glory in situations when a pass would have been the wiser option. There was nothing on the night to suggest that Solskjaer should take the risk to build a team around the Frenchman.
On days like this, there’s a feeling that United might not miss Pogba if he leaves the Red Devils in the summer.
#1 Jesse Lingard
Perhaps the biggest mystery in the minds of United fans is how Jesse Lingard continues to start games for Manchester United. The Englishman has been so poor in recent games that he no longer deserves to be in the matchday squad. The only explanation that can be put forward is that this was Lingard’s last chance to impress Solskjaer and the Englishman could be offloaded in the summer.
Lingard started as the false 9 on the night and with two exciting, attacking players ahead of him, had a lot of options to hurt the away side. The Englishman had a free role but failed to make anything out of it. With the speed of Greenwood and Rashford tormenting the Cardiff defence in the opening minutes, United needed Lingard to stitch together those final balls from the middle.
Unfortunately, the Englishman failed to do anything right in the game and ended up frustrating himself as well as his teammates. For a player who is quite fast himself, Lingard actually was guilty of slowing the game down whenever he received the ball.
The Englishman had a very important role in the game, but unfortunately, he failed to have any impact and was the poorest player on the pitch. His dismal performance ultimately cost United the game.
