United players get Ole holiday

OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER will take his Manchester United players away to a £350-a-night warm weather training camp in Dubai following their FA Cup third round tie with Reading this weekend. United’s manager and his squad are due to fly out on Saturday evening for a four-day stay at the fivestar One and Only Royal Mirage Arabian Court hotel. Solskjaer has made a big impact since taking over from Jose Mourinho, transforming the mood and playing style, and sees the trip as a chance to bond his group further ahead of their crunch Premier League game with Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham at Wembley on January 13. Despite the luxury destination, though, Solskjaer is not intending the trip to be a relaxing break or a reward for his rejuvenated players. Instead, the Norwegian wants to try and assess the characters he can rely on in the dressing room. Solskjaer and assistant Mike Phelan have gone about their duties with a

smile so far, yet the one-time ‘baby-faced assassin’ has not been afraid to show his sterner side. He reprimanded striker Anthony Martial when the Frenchman missed training on Christmas Day after arriving late back from Paris, and will stress the importance of discipline while in Dubai. Jose Mourinho was often left exasperated at how some of the United squad responded when afforded responsibility before games and Solskjaer has underlined how he won’t allow that to seep back in. ‘You speak to the players with what we, as a staff, expect from the group then it is easier to go into details with players in the office or out on the pitch,’ he said. ‘Never ever, ever, ever forget where you are and what badge you are wearing when you are playing because we do have a different history to other clubs,’ he added in an interview with Stadium Astro. ‘We do have a different tradition. We have had the best boss in the world. We’ve had Sir Matt [Bubsy] before then. We have a way of behaving and a way of playing. ‘It is so lovely to walk in here and Kath, the receptionist, still wants to be here. There is a reason players come here but there is also a reason the staff are employed. They know what’s expected and know the culture of the club.’