Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 'Very Pleased' Despite Manchester United's 0-0 Draw with AZ

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he was "very pleased" with his team despite them being held to a 0-0 draw by AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday. 

Solskjaer took issue with the artificial pitch at ADO Den Haag's Cars Jeans Stadion and said Marcus Rashford should have been awarded a penalty after he appeared to be brought down in the box by Stijn Wuytens, but he was content with a point.

Per Metro, the Norwegian said:

"It's a good point away from home against a difficult opponent, very difficult surface.

"Remember they beat Feyenoord 3-0 away from home just now, we made many changes, and I'm very pleased.

"Today was the decision of the referee, it should have been a penalty and we could have sat here smiling."

The manager added that while the Red Devils' failure to score was a concern, the players "know themselves" they should have been more clinical up front and ultimately there were "big, big pluses" from the performance.

Solskjaer conceded "there are many" away matches United should have won, he does not believe their form on the road is an "issue." He also said draws away from home should see the Premier League outfit progress from their group as long as they win their matches at Old Trafford.

The video assistant referee is not in use in the group stage of the competition. If it had been, United may well have received a penalty for Wuytens' challenge on Rashford.

The Red Devils might have been penalised themselves, though, when Fred pulled down Dani de Wit at a corner.

Opta's Duncan Alexander took issue with Solskjaer's comments on referees failing to award spot-kicks to his side:

It was a night to forget for the visitors, who were second-best throughout and did not test AZ's goalkeeper once.

United haven't won away from home since they beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League round of 16, which was before Solskjaer was appointed on a permanent basis.

Broadcaster Jake Humphrey and football writer Daniel Storey put United's away form in perspective:

The manager isn't getting as much as he could out of his players, though he doesn't have a great deal to work with, as ESPN's Alex Shaw observed:

Winning their home matches should be enough for them to reach the knockout phase in the Europa League, but United's struggle for form on the road is an ongoing problem.

The Red Devils have won just two of seven Premier League matches this season, leaving them 12 points behind leaders Liverpool, although they're only three points off a place in the top four.

On Sunday, they'll visit Newcastle United at St. James' Park, where the Magpies have not won since April.

Facing Steve Bruce's struggling side will be a golden opportunity for United to end their disappointing run away from home. Anything less than victory on Sunday will be a bad result for the Red Devils.