Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes winning the League Cup would be a “big step” in Manchester United’s development as he prepares for today’s semi-final showdown with Manchester City at Old Trafford.
United were knocked out by Pep Guardiola’s men in the final four of the competition last season, before losing in the semis of the FA Cup and Europa League to Chelsea and Sevilla respectively.
However, the Red Devils had a third-place finish in the Premier League behind City and runaway winners, Liverpool, to show for Solskjaer’s first full season in charge.
United have pushed on again this season in the league to find themselves level on points with Liverpool at the top of the table with a game in hand on the champions.
“A semi-final is a chance to get to the final, to get your hands on a trophy in the next round and for this team, it would be a very, very big step getting your hands on a trophy,” said Solskjaer.
“We’ve developed a lot in the last six months, last 12 months since the last semi in the Carabao (League) Cup so of course it’s not just learning to win semis.
“We’ve also earned the right to feel we can go all the way with our performances. We are confident; we are going into the game with good form so there are no excuses.”
