An Ole Gunnar Solskjaer injury update is concerning news ahead of an FA Cup tie, while the Red Devils boss also spoke on a new deal for Paul Pogba, as well as his reaction to Manchester United‘s draw in the Europa League.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Give Injury Update and Hopes for Paul Pogba Contract Extension
Injury Update Leaves Manchester United Short on Strikers for Sunday
The United boss has told the press that his side will be short of options up front when they take on Leicester City in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Edinson Cavani has been injured and subject to heavy speculation around his future, while Anthony Martial has been missing since United’s 1-1 draw with AC Milan at Old Trafford last Thursday.
There is no return expected for either player, and Marcus Rashford is unlikely to have recovered after being substituted at half-time in United’s Europa League round of 16 second-leg win at the San Siro with a muscle strain. The United boss said about Cavani: “Edinson has worked really hard and joined in training sessions.
“Towards the end, he needs to top it up to feel 100% ready for the game and hasn’t really got there yet. It’s down to him. He doesn’t want to come in and look off the pace. Hopefully, he can be ready for Sunday but I’m not sure.”
The Norwegian was quiet on Paul Pogba’s future and focused more on his performance against Milan, saying: “I don’t think any energy would be used on the speculation.
“Of course, we’ve got discussions and talks. When you see Paul playing like tonight, when you see him come back training, it shows how much he cares for us and how much he enjoys playing and how much we can benefit from having him here.”
Solskjaer added later that Pogba is set to play against Leicester, but he probably won’t be able to complete 90 minutes.
United’s Trophy Hopes for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
After the club’s pathway to a Europa League victory was revealed, Solskjaer spoke about how important a trophy can be for his team this year, saying: “I spoke earlier about trophies and it can hide sometimes what you’re doing in the background but for me, I feel we’re improving all the time and getting closer.
“To win a trophy could be a boost for everyone, yes, it would be. We’ve had this before when we won the Carling Cup in 2006 with Nemanja [Vidic] and Patrice [Evra] and it was the first of many [trophies]. We feel, or we hope, a trophy can be a catalyst of more to come.”
While speaking about great United defenders of the past, the 48-year-old took the opportunity to express his confidence in the club’s current defenders, saying: “The belief and the attitude is there. I have to say I’m impressed by the way they recover for each game because it’s relentless.
“They are preparing at the highest, highest level. It’s not like we’ve had any gimmes in the draws. Every game has been one where you have to dig deep to win. This is another one, Leicester away.”
