Harry Maguire set to miss Europa League final after sitting out training

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had initially been upbeat about Maguire returning to skipper the side in Wednesday’s final in Gdansk

Manchester United’s Harry Maguire suffered ankle ligament damage against Aston Villa. Picture: Nick Potts

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is resigned to being without Harry Maguire for Wednesday's Europa League final in Gdansk but the Manchester United manager could at least call on other support as he warmed up for the meeting with Villarreal.

United’s captain played a walk-through role in a light training session this evening in the stadium where his team will face their Spanish opponents, as Solskjaer seeks his first trophy in charge of the club tonight.

But the ankle ligament injury Maguire picked up at the start of the month looks almost certain to keep him out of Solskjaer’s starting line-up for the meeting with the Spanish side.

Solskjaer, however, was able to seek solace in the weight of history as he prepares for a European final 22 years to the day since he scored the winning goal for United in the famous Champions League win over Bayern Munich.

May 26 is also the birthday of the legendary former United manager Matt Busby, a coincidence which Solskjaer was quick to latch onto.

And the Norwegian also looked to his club’s illustrious pass in inviting his predecessor Alex Ferguson to join the United party in Poland and spoke enthusiastically about the role his mentor has played in preparing the team for the big showdown.

“He flew out with us on Monday and some of the players and staff went to see his documentary - or Jason's film about his dad - last week,” said Solskjaer.

“I sat there thinking about this man and what he’s done for the club.

“He’s a special man and he’s like an encyclopedia of football, even though I got him on a quiz question yesterday!

"Just to have him around when we eat in the restaurant and I’m sure the players, if they wonder about something, they can ask him and he’s always available for a chat because this is the club in his heart.

"I hope he is going to enjoy it as well because I owe most of my career to him and this club, so hopefully he'll enjoy this night.”

The Ferguson documentary, compiled by his son, has actually served as a painful reminder of how far United have slipped from the top of the sport since his retirement in 2013.

But with United on the verge of collecting their sixth European trophy, Solskjaer was happy to cling onto any lucky omen he could find.

“When it’s something positive you think it will work in your favour I think it will be a good omen for us but the players need to do their job,” he said. “Maybe we can honour Sir Matt’s birthday with another win.

“We have five wins in Europe, we have lost twice to Barcelona, these are big nights for us.

“It might be the stepping stone for something better to come, a bright future because this team is a young team and it is a a team we have rebuilt over the last couple of years so hopefully this is the start of something more.

“We know, of course Sir Alex is with us, we know the 26th of May is Sir Matt’s birthday but the players when they sign for Man United they do so to win trophies, they accept the challenge of being the best because this is the best club in the world so that is the pressure of Man United.

“That is something they are ready for because they wouldn’t have signed here if they weren’t top players.”