It will "take a long time" for Manchester United to challenge for the Premier League title again, says manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

United ended their season with a dismal 2-0 home defeat against relegated Cardiff to finish sixth, 32 points behind champions Manchester City.

The Red Devils won just one of their last seven league games.

"The last couple of months have been extremely hard for the team, the club and for the players," said Solskjaer.

United finished second under Jose Mourinho last season, but the Portuguese was sacked in December following a run of poor results.

The Old Trafford club's legendary former striker Solskjaer was appointed on an interim basis, taking the the club on a run of 12 games without defeat, but they collapsed in the final few months to finish five points off a Champions League place.

They last won the title in 2012-13, in Sir Alex Ferguson's last season in charge, while it is now two seasons without a trophy after the Europa League and League Cup triumphs in 2016-17.

Solskjaer told BBC Radio 5 Live: "More or less the only positive from today is that the season is over. We meet again on 1 July and we will work back to where we belong.

"To reach the leaders it will take a long time. For ourselves, the short-term focus in the league will be getting into the top four.

"We have got the Europa League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup to go for a trophy because Manchester United can't go many years without winning a trophy. Jose [Mourinho] won the Europa League last and that is a realistic ambition.

"In the league, the points we are behind the top two, they have been excellent, those two. Absolutely exceptional. And we are five or six points behind Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea. They are the ones we have to make sure we catch up and don't let anyone closer to us."

Speculation continues over the futures of several big-name players at United, mainly midfielder Paul Pogba, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

In videos on social media, the French World Cup winner received abuse from his own supporters while performing the end-of-season lap of honour.

Club captain Antonio Valencia and midfielder Ander Herrera will leave, while Juan Mata's contract runs out at the end of the season and Alexis Sanchez could also move on.

Against Cardiff, Solskjaer gave a full start to academy product Mason Greenwood at the age of 17.

"We will need players in," said Solskjaer. "We will need some characters in but, of course, you see Mason [Greenwood] today, he is made for Manchester United and a player we will see a lot of."

'I was always a professional in all aspects' - Sanchez
Meanwhile, forward Alexis Sanchez took to social media to "apologise" on behalf of the team and defended himself against accusations against his own commitment to the cause.

The Chilean, who only managed 27 appearances this season, said: "Personally, I didn't perform as much as I was expecting because of unpredictable injuries.

"Press and people were speculating of things that were not even true. I was always a professional in all aspects.

"I apologise to the fans for not be able to achieve our goals, nevertheless we are Manchester United!

"Players and staff are questioning if we were doing the right thing and if we were giving our best for this football shirt... I'm certain that Manchester United one day will return to be the club, as it was in the old days with Mr Alex Ferguson."

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48248090

I think Man United never planned ahead adequately for life after Ferguson. Ferguson had taken them to such heights of success that they felt that even if a manager like Moyes without any title pedigree comes in, the models for success Ferguson had already laid down will just make everything coast along. I'm sure they never prepared for this level of decadence at the club.

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sack ole, sell pogba, sell de-gea if he wants to leave , sell Sanchez ,young , Jones , smalling, lukaku but don't let Herrera leave cos that guy na asset, d rest are just dunce

Babies united though

It will take Man United 10 years to become a winning team like Arsenal. Europa-league winner-in-waiting

bizza45:
sack ole, del pogba, sell de-gea if he wants to leave , sell Sanchez ,young , Jones , smalling, lukaku but don't leave Herrera leave cos that guy ma asset d rest are just dunce

He should be fired before it’s too late he is not a good coach he was just lucky to win his first 10 games.He is too obsessed with Fergi’s legacy and its going to destroy him
The foool even went for youth In must win last 3 games

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bizza45:
sack ole, del pogba, sell de-gea if he wants to leave , sell Sanchez ,young , Jones , smalling, lukaku but don't leave Herrera leave cos that guy ma asset d rest are just dunce

this one na real plastic fan. why dem kuku sell the entire club...

Obviously! We need lazy players sanitation

FORM IS TEMPORARY 6TH IS PERMANENT

1billion pounds will clear the mess!

bizza45:
sack ole, del pogba, sell de-gea if he wants to leave , sell Sanchez ,young , Jones , smalling, lukaku but don't leave Herrera leave cos that guy ma asset d rest are just dunce

How many players wan come remain?

badmrkt:
this one na real plastic fan. why dem kuku sell the entire club...

He is right,the whole club is in disarray.Non of those players can make first City team and if Degea want to leave they should free him

BloggerAdmin:
Brand new

oleeeee,barawo,thief everything bad Na him u represent

Bring Mourinho or Conte and give them 400m you will win the Premier league next season or next two

badmrkt:
this one na real plastic fan. why dem kuku sell the entire club...

this one no b plastic matter ... these set of players i said they should sell, if i give them to u for free u no go agree u use them .... imagine person like lingard dey play for manu... if na pep dey manage manu, u no go see all these nonsense

Not a united fan but truth be told, this united team need a total overhaul.

Chai eleyi gidigan

bettercreature:
He should be fired before it’s too late he is not a good coach he was just lucky to win his first 10 games.He is too obsessed with Fergi’s legacy and its going to destroy him
The foool even went for youth In must win last 3 games

Lol
Mourinhos worst outings were better than oles

logon599:
I think Man United never planned ahead adequately for life after Ferguson. Ferguson had taken them to such heights of success that they felt that even if a manager like Moyes without any title pedigree comes in, the models for success Ferguson had already laid down will just make everything coast along. I'm sure they never prepared for this level of decadence at the club.

Hiring Moyes will haunt them for too long to come... That has to be the dumbest decision ever taken by a top football board in the history of club football. Even Man City knew better than that.

hisexcellency34:
It will take Man United 10 years to become a winning team like Arsenal. Europa-league winner-in-waiting

i prefer Arsenal winning that trophy but stop comparing Man U, with Arsenal

bizza45:
sack ole, sell pogba, sell de-gea if he wants to leave , sell Sanchez ,young , Jones , smalling, lukaku but don't let Herrera leave cos that guy na asset, d rest are just dunce

You think football management is as simple as that... sack this, sack that. Listen to yourself!.. Ole has had to make do with the mess created by Moyes and Van Gaal, and worsened by mou. As it stands, Ole's success hinges on the full readiness of the board to co-operate with him...

How has Zidane fared since he returned to Real madrid? How many losses, draws?.. You think Valverde's mild success in Barca is his doing? Imagine Pep coaching these set of individuals with the board refusing to spend a dime; how far will he fare?

I now see why English fans make fun of you guys on social media... You know nothing about club football.