With a fully fit squad, Solskjaer’s Man United eye a quick response

Manchester United are currently in the middle of a disappointing run of form. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are winless in the Premier League in the last four matches. Their patchy form hit a new low last weekend after suffering a demoralising 5-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford. Solskjaer, however, asserted that his team is eager to put things right against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend. Manchester United have one of the biggest squads in the league, and the manager have a fully fit squad at his disposal for the trip to North London. The only exception is Paul Pogba, who received a red card against Liverpool last Sunday.

“Everyone’s fit,” Ole told the club media. “Paul [Pogba]’s suspended but to have everyone else available to choose from is unprecedented really in the middle of the season and when we’re having tough times but we’re ready. They all want to participate and they all want to help the team and the club.” When stressed upon Raphael Varane and Anthony Martial, the manager replied, “They’ve been training this week, yeah.”

The manager also opened up about how the week has been for the staff and the players. “Difficult, as you’d expect. But also, a week with lots of focused minds and determined players. It’s been very good on the training ground, I have to say. The boys deserve all the credit for what they’ve done this week, how focused they’ve been. There’s been no blaming others or pointing fingers, because they are a great group of players, good professionals, and the culture we’ve built is good. We’re disappointed, of course, we’re not happy and jovial, we’re determined to put things right,” he added.

Solskjaer: We need to sort things out on the pitch

Some players have spoken about the conversations they’ve had with each other. Asked about how important they are, Ole replied, “Very. We’ve got to be, how do you say, in Norway we have an expression: ‘the distance to the ceiling has to be high’. It has to be a room where we can say things openly without it coming back or coming out. We need to sort things out on the pitch, that’s what it’s about. Nothing is personal, because they all want to do their best and they back each other. They know they need each other, the players.”

Last season, Manchester United produced a stunning second half fightback to win 3-1 at Spurs. Opening up about it, the manager said, “We did well. We came back after what we felt was unjust when we had a goal disallowed. It wouldn’t be disallowed this season, that’s for sure, which is a good thing. I think football is going in the right direction in that respect. It’s not basketball anymore. We’re looking forward to the game. We hold our hands up, we have to be better and it’s a good chance against a very good team in a magnificent stadium.”