Solskjaer feels he was misrepresented when speaking last Friday about Rashford’s return from injury, following a lengthy period of rehabilitation on a shoulder problem.
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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has quashed reports that he wants Marcus Rashford to prioritise his football over the inspiring charity work. Solskjaer feels he was misrepresented when speaking last Friday about Rashford’s return from injury after a lengthy period of rehabilitation on a shoulder problem. On the pitch at the weekend, Rashford made his first appearance of the season. He scored after coming on as a second-half substitute in the Premier League match against Leicester City on Saturday. Next up is a clash against Atalanta in the Champions League for the Red Devils.
At the start of a press conference on Tuesday to preview the European clash against the Italians, Solskjaer quickly dismissed those reports, with Rashford seated alongside him. “Good afternoon, boys. Just to get the elephant out of the room straight away, we know the headlines that came after the Leicester game,” the manager told reporters before a question was asked, according to the club’s website. “We are so unbelievably proud of what Marcus has done on and off the pitch.
“You know what I said and you made a headline out of one little comment that I never intended to be the focus of what I was saying. I was saying it must be nice for the boy to focus on going into training and not feeling his ankle, or his shoulder or his back. Now he can just go and enjoy his football, and I think you all know that. So, there are no more questions on that one, or you can ask Marcus about it, but I just wanted to start with that one to get it out of the way.”
Meanwhile, Rashford spoke about the team’s recent form during the press conference and informed that the squad has held discussions about it. “You know I think at a club like Manchester United as soon as you lose a game this is what happens,” said Marcus.
“I think for us as players we have to go back to basics, we have to look at ourselves and see what we can do better. We’ve had the conversations as a team, which we do whether we win or lose a game. We know the next game is an opportunity to do better and that is always the aim.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has gone on to praise his coaching staff and added that every team goes through a “patchy period.” When asked whether he felt the recent scrutiny of the coaches was deserved, Solskjaer replied, “Every team will go through a patchy period and we’re in one now.”
“The form is poor, we know that, we hold our hands up and we know we need to improve. Every team will go through that every year. We’ve gone through it [before] and come through stronger. As I’ve said so many times, the coaching staff that we’ve got here are absolutely amazing. The attention to detail, the sessions they put on, the preparation that we have here. I don’t think I could ask for better staff.”
“They’re good people, good Man United people, with one intention in mind and that’s to improve the team and help the players, help the team grow,” he added.
“Of course, we go through difficult times together. We’ve spoken as a group, as a team about what we need to do, and hopefully the reaction will come tomorrow.”
