📣 Solskjaer on CR7, Cavani, bouncing back and 'proper midfielders' | OneFootball

Icon: OneFootball

OneFootball

Dan Burke·16 September 2021

📣 Solskjaer on CR7, Cavani, bouncing back and 'proper midfielders'

Article image:📣 Solskjaer on CR7, Cavani, bouncing back and 'proper midfielders'

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke to reporters on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s trip to face West Ham.

Here’s the best of what he had to say …


OneFootball Videos


On life with Cristiano Ronaldo

This browser is not supported, please use a different one or install the app

video-poster

“Life is normal, we’ve signed a good player, there’s always lots of attention around Cristiano. He copes with it and the players get on with their job.

“It was a big occasion against Newcastle with the excitement of the crowd, we did really well and handed the crowd and Cristiano delivered.”


On Diogo Dalot

“Yeah Diogo has had a very good summer with being called up to Euros, he did well for Portugal Under-21s and had a season on loan that learnt a lot from in Milan.

“He kept fit, which was a big thing. And he’s got qualities that we look at trying to exploit more and more, of course he’s got more experience. We’re not here just to loan out players for years and years. Last year’s loan was was to give him experience and game time and I think he did well when he came on the other night.”


On Edinson Cavani

“Edinson hopefully will start training with us after the weekend, maybe Monday, so maybe involved on Wednesday. He had a fantastic season last season, the impact he made when he got his fitness, he struggles with niggly injuries early on.

“We feel that to get the best out of him this season we need to get him 100% fit and not rush him. We’ve got a strong squad that will cope with having to let players heal and not risk any further injuries.

“I see Edinson having a massive impact, he’s that type of personality and player. He can’t wait to play and he’s working really hard to get back on the pitch.”


On bouncing back from the Young Boys defeat

This browser is not supported, please use a different one or install the app

video-poster

“Of course you wait to see when you see them this morning when you come back in. The attitude is like you expect it to.

“They’re focused of course, a little bit disappointed but not too downbeat. We know it’s a setback and we have to do better and we’ve got five games to get 10 to 12 points we need. Not the start we wanted but we’re a good team that can bounce back again and the group is very good.”


On ups and downs in United’s form

“No, it doesn’t surprise me. I’ve got my job and we do our job, you tend to in the media get judged by behaviours and outcomes rather than intentions. It’s black and white. But we go into the game with good intentions, we make changes with good intentions, go into a tackle and make a pass with good intentions. The outcome always decides which headline we’ll see and very very rarely is the game fantastic or really really bad, it just hovers about good or not good enough.

“We know the expectations are high and we expect more of ourselves as well, the performance wasn’t up to our standard.”


On the midfield conundrum

Article image:📣 Solskjaer on CR7, Cavani, bouncing back and 'proper midfielders'

“I’m not here to explain every single detail of how I want my team to play. We want central midfielder who can play. Today’s football is about he’s a good 6, 8, 10. Back in the day you had proper midfielders, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Bryan Robson. You see players out there who can attack and defend and that’s what we look for, midfielders who are complete and we try to develop that in our midfield.

“It’s a balance between with how many you commit forward and how you defend because one little mistake and there’s a counter attack towards you.

“Overarching philosophy… I don’t sit here and claim and talk… football is a simple game and it’s about making good decisions and being in a team.

“Sometimes we look too much into the all intricacies and it’s passion, it’s desire – who wants to win the ball? Which one of the striker has the desire to get on the end of crosses?

“You can talk about all sorts, it looks nice on paper. But when you go out on that pitch, it’s who wants to win, that’s one of the big things. You want winners and I think I’m getting there with my team, team players.”


Jesse Lingard’s future

“He’s got one year left on his contract and of course the club is talking to him and his dad. We see him as a Man United player in the future as well.

“Jesse has come back into us after a great spell at West Ham; he showed his qualities, he’s back into the England squad, scoring goals.

“We really want to see the best of Jesse this season, we support him and we hope to keep him here with us, he’s a red through and through.”