United will flourish despite injury blows, maintains Solskjaer
MANCHESTER United are set to be without Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard at a crucial point in their season, with the pair ruled out for two to three weeks.
Martial and Lingard were both forced off with groin and hamstring injuries respectively during United’s 2-0 Champions League defeat against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.
The pair have played a key part in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer turning around United’s fortunes, starting regularly alongside Marcus Rashford in the Norwegian’s first-choice front three.
Neither will be available for Monday’s FA Cup fifth round tie at Chelsea and they are also expected to miss Liverpool’s visit to Old Trafford tomorrow week.
If the pair are sidelined for three weeks, they may also be unavailable for the Champions League return leg in Paris on March 6.
Their absences open the door for the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Juan Mata and Romelu Lukaku, who have failed to make an impression under Solskjaer so far. Solskjaer also suggested he could turn to some of the club’s younger players. Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes could be promoted to the matchday squad, though 17-year-old striker Mason Greenwood is currently sidelined.
“I think they’ll be out for two to three weeks,” Solskjaer said of Martial and Lingard yesterday. “Then you’re looking at young players.
“Mason Greenwood, now’s the time to step up but he’s injured unfortunately. That’s the way the luck goes sometimes. Mason will get his chance later on. It’s a chance for anyone who plays. Alexis, Romelu, Chongy or Angel.
“Anthony and Jesse have done really well for us, they’re vital. But then again with Rom and Alexis, they’ve got different skill sets and will be able to show what they can do.”
With Chelsea and Liverpool following so soon after PSG, Martial and Lingard’s injuries come at the most important point of their season to date.
Whereas some may find United’s upcoming fixtures daunting, Solskjaer described the week ahead as “great” and expects his players to shake off the effects of his first defeat in charge.
“You don’t panic because you’ve lost a game, you don’t change everything. It doesn’t change the mindset at all,” he said.
“We need to keep working on the way we play football. We want to go down to Chelsea, we want to have Liverpool here and impose ourselves on those games. There are quite a few other teams with injuries so you have to adapt to that.”
Meanwhile, Gianfranco Zola insists Chelsea are providing Callum Hudson-Odoi with “plenty of reasons to feel wanted”, despite the player’s lack of first-team football.
Winger Hudson-Odoi is unsettled at Stamford Bridge and handed in a transfer request last month following a £35million bid from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
The 18-year-old (below), whose contract expires next year, has been restricted to just 19 minutes of senior action since the close of the transfer window and is still awaiting his first Premier League start.
Asked if Chelsea’s coaching staff had a sense of urgency to make the player feel valued in the aftermath of Bayern’s interest, Blues assistant boss Zola replied: “I disagree on that. He’s always on the edge of the team.
“As soon as there is an opportunity, he plays. Sometimes from the beginning. Sometimes he comes on.
“The manager (Maurizio Sarri) is giving him plenty of reasons to feel involved and wanted. There aren’t many 18-year-olds in Europe playing as many games as he is. There might be one or two.
“He’s playing. And, on top of that, he’s a player we appreciate and we believe is growing up.
“He has a bright future in this club, the whole coaching group like him.”
• CHELSEA and Malmo have been charged by Uefa following supporter unrest during their Europa League match in Sweden on Thursday.
Chelsea have been charged over pitch invasions by their supporters and Malmo for setting off fireworks. Both clubs have been charged with the throwing of objects by their fans during the last-32 tie, which Chelsea won 2-1.