Manchested United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was not a happy man following his side’s loss to Watford. The Red Devils dominated possession, but fell 2-0 against the worst team in the English Premier League this season. Sure, a huge mistake from David De Gea played a role in the loss. But United deserve blame as well. They were unable to create and capitalize chances despite their territorial dominance.
United fell to eighth place in the Premier League standings following the loss. That result left them seven points off a Champions League berth, and Solskjaer has expressed disappointment in his recent words. In fact, he’s ready to “throw away” this season and build a squad for the 2020-21 campaign.
“We’re halfway through this season and we knew this season was going to be a season of some ups and downs. This season will be used to find a team and a squad for next season, but hopefully we can speed this process up by getting more results. But at the moment we’re a little bit further behind than what I was hoping for, yeah”, the manager said.
Those words can only mean one thing. Solskjaer knows the team is not responding to expectations. He wants to do something, but he knows playing for the future is the best long-term choice. United’s core players are all relatively young, so it’s not like the window of contention is closing. If anything, the window could be opening next season at the earliest with a few additions here and there.
That disappointment should be a good sign of things to come. Solskajer knows this team can play better. And he is not going to settle until the team performs to the level he wants. But right now, Manchester United are playing for the future. Solskjaer knows it, and he wants to plan things accordingly. After all, The Red Devils have fell into a secondary echelon of the Premier League in recent years. And the Norwegian gaffer wants that to end once the 2019-20 campaign comes to a close.
United are back in action against Newcastle at Old Trafford on Thursday. Solskjaer has entertained the idea of starting Paul Pogba right from the start after the Frenchman impressed off the bench against Watford.
Leave a Reply