Nemanja Matic has expressed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserved more time as Manchester United manager.

Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho in December 2018, with many hoping he would revive the club after Mourinho’s failure to secure silverware following his Europa League triumph in his first season.

During Solskjaer’s initial stint as caretaker, he guided the Red Devils through the Champions League, but inconsistent performances soon saw the club part ways with the Norwegian, despite moments of promise.

Reflecting on his former manager’s tenure, Matic praised the progress made under Solskjaer.

“We finished second and third under him,” Matic told FourFourTwo. “There was an atmosphere in the team that we weren’t happy finishing second, but when you see the results now, we did amazingly.

“I think Ole deserved more time – and when I say Ole, I also want to mention his staff, like Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna. They were going the right way to bring United back.

“Of course, they made the decision to sack Ole based on his final couple of results, but he was an amazing person with the right profile for the club. He and his assistants understood football – training was perfect and had every little detail ready for us.

“I felt sorry because Ole was a great guy and we were on the way to doing something big. I wasn’t his first choice in the midfield and never liked a coach when I didn’t play – I’d fight with them.

“But Ole was the first coach I didn’t fight with. He brought the players who weren’t in the starting XI together. He knew the club and the fans loved him.”