Barcelona a level above Manchester United, says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
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Updated 16/04/2019 at 21:43 GMT
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has conceded that his side are some way off challenging Barcelona after their Champions League quarter-final exit.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Image credit: Getty Images
After a 1-0 loss to the Catalan outfit at Old Trafford last week, a Lionel Messi-inspired performance helped Ernesto Valverde's men to a 4-0 aggregate win and a place in the last four.
Solskjaer has highlighted Messi as the main difference between the two sides and has admitted that his team have some way to go before reaching Barcelona's level.
"We have to aspire to get to that level of Barcelona, we can get there but we have loads of work to do," he told BT Sport after the match.
"If we want to get back to Man Utd's true level, true traditions, we have to challenge Barcelona.
"They were a couple of levels above over the two games. We want to play these games again next year so we have a massive week coming up. There is no point dwelling on what could have been, we have to focus on that week."
Messi scored twice with contrasting efforts - the first sensational, the second a tame shot that squirmed through David de Gea - as United became the first English team to fall in this season's competition.
Solskjaer added: "I have to say Lionel Messi is top quality and he was the difference of course. At 2-0 straight after it was game over.
"He's different class, he and Cristiano Ronaldo are the best players of the last decade, everyone agrees on that one. Messi showed his quality."
United return to Premier League action when they travel to Everton on Sunday.
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