LONDON, May 6 (Xinhua) -- What's up on the mind of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when his Manchester United failed to qualify for the Champions League next season?
And all were due to a 1-1 away draw to Huddersfield, a side that was relegated to the Championship in March and that has lost 13 of its last 14 games.
"We didn't perform to the required level, and though we are all disappointed not to be in the Champions League next season. The Europa League is probably the right place for us at the moment."
A win over Huddersfield was the only chance for Manchester United to keep their slim hopes of a top-four finish, which will see them play the Champions League next season.
'Roller-coaster season' was virtually invented for Manchester United who kicked off the campaign in a negative and dull mood, together with an increasingly unhappy Jose Mourinho.
After Mourinho was sacked before Christmas, Solskjaer brought in a breath of fresh air as the Red Devils started to look like an unstoppable march up the table.
Unfortunately, the hopes of early spring wilted around the same time when Solskjaer signed a permanent deal, and the end of the campaign has become a long slide downhill which even affected the usually reliable David de Gea.
So where are Manchester United looking ahead next season?
Solskjaer has to look at his side's defense as no team that concedes 52 league goals is going to finish in the top four. And the midfield also needs an overhaul, with Ander Herrera and Juan Mata likely to leave, Paul Pogba a saleable asset.
So does the front line, as Alexis Sanchez became a highly paid disaster, Romelu Lukaku like a square peg in a round hole, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial gone backwards in the closing weeks of the season.
Starting from scratch is not really an option as it would present Solskjaer with an impossible task of molding a competitive squad in one season.
United's issues run deeper: ever since Sir Alex Ferguson left the dugout in 2013, their transfer policy has been dominated by 'short-termism' and the need for a quick-fix, and Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward looks like he has flung mud at a wall in the hope that some of it will stick.
What United need to do is to look at who can form the basis of a competitive side and to build around them.
It needs vision and Solskjaer needs time to justify his calibre.
