Ander Herrera has warned that it will take time before Manchester United can compete for the league title again and that the players are to blame for the club’s dismal ending to this season.

The midfielder is leaving Old Trafford after five years, with the club experiencing an awful end to the campaign. The 2-0 home defeat against Cardiff meant they won only two of their last 12 games, missing out on a place in next season’s Champions League in the process.

The 29-year-old said he believes Ole Gunnar Solskjær is the right man for the job but warned it will not be a quick turnaround. “I really believe in Ole and I really believe in Michael [Carrick], Kieran [McKenna], Mike Phelan and Demps [Mark Dempsey] too, but I think there is a tough job ahead. That is my opinion as a fan and as someone who knows the club at the moment.”

The Spaniard, who is expected to join Paris Saint-Germain, added that United would do well to look at their bitter rivals Liverpool for an example of how to rebuild a club.

“The club will need time, confidence and support,” he said. “I am sure they will give it but the only thing I ask for them is time because this is not easy. There are examples. Liverpool are probably going to win the Champions League but I am leaving this club and they [Liverpool] haven’t won one title in five years I have been here. They have done incredible work but the fans have given them time. That’s what this club needs at the moment.”

Asked whether it could take 30 years for United to win another league title, Herrera said: “I am convinced it’s not going to be [that long] because the right person [for the job] is Solskjær for sure. I hope I am wrong and Manchester United win the next Premier League but the club needs time to work.

“There are some good players and they [the club] think they are going to be great players, such as Mason Greenwood and Jimmy Garner. There are other players who need time because they are still very young. I am optimistic for the future but I ask the fans to give them time. Some of them might tell me to shut up because they have been waiting already.”

United did not win the league in Herrera’s five years at the club but he won the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League. He said the players were to blame for the current slump.

“We have to take responsibility, all of us,” he said. “It’s not fair to blame others. When you have a bad season, 75% is the responsibility of the players. I really think so. It’s very easy when a manager is sacked to blame someone else but it is the fault of every one of us.

“Every player in the dressing room has a responsibility for what has happened this season. We have done bad things. We have done some good things but for Manchester United it is not enough. Probably 14 teams, if they are sixth, they are happy but Manchester United cannot be happy.”

As for the future, Herrera added that the players are fully behind Solskjær, despite the awful results since they beat PSG 3-1 in Paris to progress to the last eight of the Champions League.

“He is one of the best people I have ever met in football,” Herrera said. “Everyone loves him in the dressing room. Everyone wants to fight for him. When you have the players behind you and wanting to fight for you, part of the job is done. I believe in karma and if you are a good person, if you are honest and sincere with the players and the fans, sooner or later it will work.”