Press Conference: Solskjaer on David de Gea, summer transfer decisions and Pogba’s picture with Zidane

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke to the media on Friday morning as he previews Manchester United's upcoming clash with Liverpool in the Premier League. United welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford aiming for only a third win in eight matches but with a good record against the top teams this season. United are unbeaten in their last five home league meetings with Liverpool (W3 D2), their longest run without defeat against them at Old Trafford since a run of 10 between February 1991 and March 2000. “Of course, I would like to tell you positive news hopefully we’ll see on Sunday who’s come through the last two sessions because there are players that just started training on the verge of coming back so can’t really say,” said Solskjaer. In his first 29 matches in charge, Solskjaer has 14 wins and 7 draws, while Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has 13 wins and 8 draws. “No I don’t hold onto stats like this and I’m just working as planned business, as usual, try to improve the team, try to work towards something, but of course we’re heading somewhere we feel but need results and I expect the players to come out and prove why they’re at Man United,” said the Norwegian. About the mood around the club ahead of the game, Solskjaer said: “Of course, there have been loads of players away but the mood here is always good. We’ve come a long way on what you call the culture, environment that we’re working on, it’s positive, the staff and players know when it’s Liverpool coming up it’s a game that’s gonna be watched by so many and when you sign for Manchester United this is the first one you look forward to against one of the main rivals and it’s a chance for them to... as I did, a couple of times, to get in the history books as I did. The mood in a football club is always affected by results but it’s been better than expected within here and people that you meet can see what we’re trying to do but winning games is the biggest thing, that breeds confidence it’s a determined bunch of players and club but you can’t say we walk around smiling all the time.” Ed Woodward has offered a defiant backing to his under-pressure manager Solskjaer despite United’s miserable start to the season. “Well, of course, it’s always... I speak to Ed loads of times and we speak regularly and we’ve spoken so many times we do have a plan and we have made some decisions in the short-term would harm us but in the long-term would benefit us and that’s part of the plan, but results are always the main thing and we can move forward quicker with results and performances. I am sure we will get there. But there’s planning for the next transfer window and summer transfer window,” said the boss. David de Gea suffered a groin injury while playing for Spain earlier in the week and had to be replaced after an hour during the side’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Sweden: “Don’t expect him to play but wasn’t as bad as feared, when I saw the game I thought that’s him out until next international break but it’s not as bad as feared."

Confident you can turn it around? I’ve never felt it’s too big for me and confident in what we’re trying to do and with my staff, I’ve been so impressed, Michael, Kieran, Martin, Richard, the coaching an improvement is there to see for us and it about starts winning games, start scoring goals, we need to create more chances because at the back I think we’ve looked solid but haven’t been adventurous enough, take enough risks. If you watch the best teams around take more risks more runs and maybe the boys when they lose confidence they play safe and it’s my duty to say it’s not safe. Flat performances because of injuries? Of course, when you lose the majority of front creativity that we started with you’re gonna struggle to create as many chances as you like, you can’t carve that opening, the pressing up high has been very good, attitude, desire, has been very good but not enough chances created, not taken. Sometimes that’s confidence, human nature, you say players missing chances they won’t normally miss but it’s up to us to get the ball between the posts, that goal never misses. What is different now from last season? The culture I’m seeing every day, the attitude of the training, they want to give everything. At times I didn’t feel they had the robustness, or the mentality at times...for us we have been working very hard for the conditioning.

United star Paul Pogba met with Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane fueling fresh speculation over the future. The pair talked by a pool in Dubai after meeting up during the international break. Solskjaer said: “Paul is part of our plan, he’s been playing through the pain barriers and has been criticised left, right and centre. But when he came back Rochdale Arsenal he wanted to play, try to get back, was too painful, he had that scan, he’s on the way back, he’s recovering, he’s mending, he’s been on a few days off working but he’s away from here, and it’s a pic, when you’re at Man United I don’t have any problem with that at all.” At the end of the press conference, Solskjaer defended his summer transfer decisions. “The time is always right to make the right decision and to go one with the squad we have, the injuries didn’t help, we’re getting players back now, I’m sure until Christmas we’ll get the results but the last few weeks have been different and hard but it won’t tell me it was the wrong decision, it was the right decision. Listen, the culture we wanna build had to make the decisions,” concluded the Norwegian. Join Us on Telegram! Follow Us on Twitter! Like Us on Facebook!

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