The Norwegian has warned his players to remain fully focused ahead of a clash against Newcastle at Old Trafford
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has issued a rallying cry to his Manchester United squad, calling for his players to prove that they “want it more” than their opponents.
United are due to welcome Newcastle to Old Trafford on Sunday night as they continue to try and chase down arch-rivals Manchester City at the top of the table.
The Red Devils have fallen 10 points behind City after a run of just one win from their last five games and Solskjaer has warned that they cannot afford to take any teams lightly heading into the business end of the season.
What was said?
“Every game in the Premier League is difficult. You’ve got to earn the right. You’ve got to do it by your quality but first of all the attitude,” the Norwegian told United’s official website.
“Run more than them, want it more than them and we’ve got players who have got the quality, so hopefully we can take the chances.”
European boost
Solskjaer saw his side bounce back from a disappointing 1-1 draw with West Brom by beating Real Sociedad in the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 tie on Thursday night.
The Red Devils ran out 4-0 winners at the Allianz Stadium thanks to a brace from Bruno Fernandes and goals from Daniel James and Marcus Rashford, rediscovering a ruthless streak in the final third which had been lacking in recent matches.
“Thursday night was perfect for us. We gave minutes to the ones that needed minutes, we got good confidence from the performance,” Solskjaer said.
“The forwards scored goals – Dan [James], Marcus [Rashford], Bruno [Fernandes] scored two goals. I think we’ve found a way of playing when the spaces are there for us. I think we were good at finding the spaces. When they give you the space in behind, why not take it?”
The bigger picture
United will still be in contention for their first Premier League title since 2012-13 if they beat Newcastle, but their best chance of ending a four-year trophy drought will now likely come in cup competitions.
The Manchester outfit have one foot in the Europa League last 16, and they also have an FA Cup quarter-final clash against Leicester City to look forward to next month.
Solskjaer said of the club’s silverware ambitions earlier this month: “Of course a trophy is always what you’re aiming for. You want to win every single competition – FA Cup, Europa League, every game you play, the Premier League.
“And that’s the ultimate challenge and a test for a team: to go all the way.”
Be the first to comment