Former Liverpool star Stephen Warnock is baffled by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s decision to leave Odion Ighalo on the bench in Manchester United’s 2-1 Europa League semi-final defeat by Sevilla.
The Red Devils were hot favourites to go on and win the tournament, but they were made to pay dearly for their lack of finishing and poor defending after a late goal from Luuk de Jong saw them off.
United created more than enough chances to win the game, but unfortunately they couldn’t bury it.
Despite having a very experienced striker like Ighalo on the bench, the manager waited until injury time to bring him on.
Warnock who is now a football pundit said that decision may leave the Nigerian whom he referred to as one of the finishers in recent times, ‘furious’.
In a BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday night, he said:
“The one who would scare me coming on is Odion Ighalo – he’s one of the best finishers I’ve seen in a long time.
“I just don’t understand why he didn’t bring him on with 20 minutes to go.
“If I’m sat on that bench and I don’t come on, I’m furious.”
Ex-Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand also slammed Solskjaer’s team for not getting the job done in the game.
He tweeted after the game: “You don’t take ya chances you get punished. You don’t defend well you get punished. No need for insight tonight!”
The result handed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his third successive semi-final defeat as Manchester United manager.
