Solskjaer, reflecting on his first half-season as United manager, discussed the development of the youngsters in the squad, how he has found his first six months in charge at Old Trafford and looked ahead to next season's challenges. Does it feel a bit weird that you were here as a player and now you’re the main man? “Yeah, it does feel weird to have this job, because it’s such a great honour to be here. You’ve been a player, you’ve been a reserve-team coach, you've been a supporter now for so many years and then suddenly when Ed [Woodward] gave me a call I thought, 'This is going to be for a few months, I’m going to enjoy it' but now I’m here and it’s fantastic.”<doc-sep>The left-back has been a regular throughout the season, making 40 appearances in all competitions, with Paul Pogba the only outfield player to receive more starts. Undoubtedly, the defender has been consistent across the campaign after scoring in the opening fixture against Leicester City - his first goal in senior football. We can confirm that the England international claimed the Players' Player of the Year prize by earning just a single vote more than second-placed Victor Lindelof.<doc-sep>The defender has won the coveted sculpture of Sir Matt for the first time in his United career at the end of his fifth campaign as a Red. Thousands of fans voted in the official app and Shaw came out on top. Victor Lindelof was second in the voting and Paul Pogba came third. Luke follows in the footsteps of David De Gea, who has also won both awards in three of the last four seasons – including last season. Speaking about his double success, Shaw said on stage: “It’s obviously nice for me, but I’d rather win no [individual] trophies and have a better season as a team. We need to move on and focus now on next season and what’s to come. “Ole has done an amazing job and of course we’ve had ups and downs but he’s obviously looking forward to getting us back in pre-season and getting his proper work done for next season. We’re all looking forward to starting fresh next season with him as the manager.”<doc-sep>Get the latest football news in your inbox every weekend for FREE by signing up to our email bulletin Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign me up! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has promised the club will 'recruit smart' in the summer transfer window. Solskjaer was speaking at the club's end-of-season awards , where he reiterated that United's summer spending strategy would focus on signing young, up-and-coming players rather than marquee names. The focus will be on players who play 'the United way', and there is a determination not to block the pathway for talented young players at the club. It is a return to the kind of recruiting that prevailed under Sir Alex Ferguson , underpinning two decades of domination for Manchester United . United have spent £686.7million on 26 additions since Ferguson retired in 2013 but their recruitment strategy has been widely criticised amid accusations of a focus on big names. (Image: Man Utd via Getty Images) Solskjaer's side missed out on a Champions League spot with last Sunday's abject 1-1 draw at Huddersfield , with the Red Devils consigned to the Europa League next season. Solskjaer took over from sacked Jose Mourinho late last year, and oversaw an immediate uplift in results that saw United surge back into the top four and progress past Paris-Saint Germain to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League. But since Solskjaer was confirmed as manager on a three-year deal in March, results have nosedived. Talking at the end-of-season awards about his time so far as United boss, Solskaer told MUTV: "It’s been a rollercoaster. We had a fantastic start, everyone just enjoyed (themselves). When you win games, you’re confident, you smile, you start to enjoy yourself. (Image: Man Utd via Getty Images) "Then we got a few injuries and it’s been ups and downs the last two months but that’s football, that’s human beings. It’s not like Football Manager. You’ve got to deal with different stuff outside football as well. "There have been highs and lows but I've enjoyed it, it’s a great challenge. I’ve not gone to bed one night worrying about what’s gonna happen because I love coming in, the boys are fantastic." Solskjaer must now plot the restructure of his squad as he aims to turn United back into top-four contenders next term. Angel Gomes, Dylan Levitt, Arnau Puigmal, Mason Greenwood, James Garner and Tahith Chong all trained with the first-team ahead of Sunday's final game of the season against Cardiff at Old Trafford, as the manager assesses his options for next season. (Image: Man Utd via Getty Images) Anthony Martial, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, Juan Mata and Ander Herrera are among the players linked with exits. Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku could also be on their way out. Solskjaer said: “It’s a great challenge (to oversee the rebuild) but it’s a great responsibility as well, because this club is huge. The media and everyone’s criticising us as soon as they've got a chance. We've just got to stick together. "We've been through difficult periods before but we've got to come through it as a team. But we've got to do it together. We’ve got to recruit smart, keep blooding the youngsters and we’’ll be fine.” (Image: Man Utd via Getty Images) Solskjaer preferably wants United to have concluded their summer business by the time they depart for their pre-season tour of Australasia on July 8, says the Manchester Evening News . Luke Shaw won Manchester United's Player of the Year award on Thursday. The defender succeeds David De Gea, who won the award - also known as the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award - last season. (Image: Man Utd via Getty Images) Thursday night's annual awards ceremony took place at Old Trafford, where Shaw was also named Players' Player of the Year, as voted for by his team-mates. Mason Greenwood meanwhile won the Young Player of the Year award, Tahith Chong was named Reserve team Player of the Year and Andreas Pereira won the goal of the season award with his effort against Southampton . Katie Zelem won the Women's Player of the Year award.<doc-sep>
Published 12:31 AM , May 10 2019 GMT+1 | Last updated 12:41 AM , May 10 2019 GMT+1 Luke Shaw was the big winner at Manchester United's end-of-season awards after taking home both the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year and the Players' Player of the Year. Fans voted the 23-year-old left-back to scoop the Matt Busby award ahead of second-placed Victor Lindelöf and third-placed Paul Pogba. However, one fan-made United Twitter account has said that Shaw winning the awards highlights a major problem with the club. Advert 10 No, it's not because there's anything against Shaw personally, but rather the shocking defensive record that the Red Devils have had this season. "If ever you wanted to know how bad things are at United, a defender has just won our Player of the Year in the same season we've conceded the most goals we've ever conceded in the history of the Premier League," The Man Utd Way tweeted. Of course, The Man Utd Way isn't the only one to share that sentiment. In fact, other United fans have taken to Twitter to share similar messages. Advert 10 For example, David de Gea might have chalked up his 100th United clean sheet in the Premier League earlier this season, but the Spanish shot-stopper has been heavily criticised for his performances over the course of the campaign. Advert 10 Whether or not United fans agree with a defender winning the two Player of the Year awards, the Red Devils made their case perfectly clear for Shaw to receive the honours that he did on the night. "It's arguably been his most consistent campaign since recovering from the horrific leg break he suffered against PSV Eindhoven in September 2015, and his impressive club form earned him a recall to the England squad," the club wrote on their official website. Credit: PA United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær is well aware of the task that he faces in rebuilding the club's squad in order to challenge for the top four, having finished outside of it this season and, as a result, they will now miss out on Champions League football. Advert 10 It was recently reported that several United players would see their wages slashed after the club failed to finish in the Premier League's top four. Will United finish in the top four next season?