Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has jumped to the defence of Norwegian football.

Solskjaer was commenting after their friendly win at Kristiansund.

He told VG: "I was wondering how the level difference was going to be, and I think some of their players really did well, you could see that they can play at a higher level. Of course, we were the better team, but I'm surprised at all the negative talk.

"There are always critics who want to say something negative, and then it is us who work in football and see what is done every single day, and the developments that are happening.

"Let's see how the teams in Europe are doing. We saw that Haugesund beat Sturm Graz 2-0. I don't think many people would have thought that three or four years ago."