MAN U SHALL RISE AGAIN - OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER
Manchester United's caretaker manager Ole
Gunnar Solskjaer vowed to "move the club forward" on Friday in his
first press conference at the helm of the world famous club.
Solskjaer's
appointment on Wednesday followed the sacking of Jose Mourinho over the team's
worst start of the season in nearly 30 years.
Talking to
reporters ahead of Manchester United's Premier League clash on Saturday against
Cardiff — a club he managed for nine months in 2014 — Solskjaer said he would
take it "game by game."
"My job
is for the next six months, I will do as well as I can, to move the club
forward.
"I want
to get my principles into the boys from the first game. Get the boys to
understand how I want them to play, how we want to play as a team.
"Work
together and then let's see how many points we can gather. I'm not going to set
any targets, we'll take it game by game." he added.
Solskjaer,
who was known during his playing days at Man Utd as a "super-sub" — a
substitute who comes in late to save the game with decisive goals — also sought
to reassure players that they'd have a chance to prove themselves.
Fans and
commentators have had mixed reactions to Mourinho's decision in recent matches
to keep record signing Paul Pogba out of the starting line-up. The French
midfielder had an impressive World Cup campaign, but when he has been selected
to play in a United shirt, Pogba rarely showed the same class as he does
internationally.
Supporters
are hoping that the Norwegian will bring a positivity to Old Trafford, and make
some inroads into getting the most out of a misfiring Romelu Lukaku, an
ineffective Alexis Sanchez and a gifted but all-too-often marginalised Marcus
Rashford.
"When
you are at Manchester there are a set of demands — standards expected. One has
to be a team player," Solskjaer said, joking: "I don't think anyone
has been on the bench more than me!
"You
never know, they might come on and make an impact, and they need to grab that
opportunity when they get it. They will all get a chance," he added.
Solskjaer
was appointed until the end of the season while the club hunts for a new
permanent manager. He is expected to return to his manager role in Molde,
Norway, in May.
But he made
it clear on Friday that he would love to be considered for the Man Utd job.
"So
many managers would love to be manager of Manchester United, I am one of them,
but it is not something I have talked about. There is a process for the next
six months," he said.
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