OGS: Utd stars thought they were too good to 'just defend' vs City & Liverpool

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer claims his Manchester United team thought they were too good to just defend against top sides - and believes that's part of the club's DNA.

The former Man United boss, 51, said their main strength was 'counter-attacking' but felt a 'responsibility' to use a certain style of football while in charge.

Solskjaer managed United between December 2018 and November 2021, leading them to as high as second in the Premier League but failing to win a trophy.

The Norwegian was often criticised for a supposed lack of tactical approach and carefree setup, as his last four games saw a 5-0 thrashing at home to Liverpool, a 3-0 win over Spurs, a 2-0 home defeat by Manchester City, and a 4-1 drubbing at Watford.

'The thing was, the players also felt, and maybe wrongly so, thought, we are a better team than just defending,' Solskjaer told the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.

'There were players whose main strength was counterattacking and running and digging in – to be honest.

'And in previous years, you had players like Andreas Pereira, Dan James, Jesse Lingard, players that could run all day for you. And it’s easy to set up a team and beat City away from home.

'At Manchester United you have a responsibility as well for the fans to enjoy the game. Don’t just go and get a result.'

He also said: 'That’s exactly what I was thinking [to take the next step and be the dominant team].

'I can’t be, because there’s a chance you’re going to lose anyway, those two Liverpool and [Manchester] City – two of the best teams in the world in the last four or five years. Absolutely top teams. There’s a chance you’re going to lose anyway – if you lose without having a go, it’s like, ‘What’s the point?’

Even when United