THREE CHEERS FOR OLE Hasenhuttl set to play his ‘joker’
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has knocked Mauricio Pochettino out of the race for the Manchester United job – now he is ready to put him in his place.
Caretaker boss Solskjaer reckons he can steer United to third spot at the expense of Pochettino’s Tottenham.
Spurs are out of the title race after back-to-back defeats by Burnley and Chelsea and are now facing a fight to hold on to a top-four spot, with United five points behind and closing.
When Solskjaer took over from Jose Mourinho back in December, United were 11 points off fourth spot but they are now just a point behind fourth-placed Arsenal and gunning for third.
“It’s important to look upwards,” said Solskjaer. “The results have meant that we can challenge Tottenham now for that third spot.
“It’s us, Chelsea and Arsenal. We’re all chasing them. It’s going to be an exciting race and every single game is going to be very important. You need to make sure you tip the balance your way. We’re five points behind Tottenham and there are 10 games to go. We’ve definitely got a chance to move up the table and we’ll do our best to get up there.
“Every game is a big chance for the players to say ‘we want to stay’ and it’s the same for everyone around the coaching staff. We want to improve everyone, that’s our job. The better we do, the bigger the chance to be here.”
Solskjaer said he is relaxed as the race for the top four enters the home straight, with the 46-year-old backing his players to step up and deliver when it matters.
“I’m not a nervous guy,” said Solskajer. “I need to relax, I need to enjoy it. I think my players see that I do enjoy this. This is the best time of their lives, playing here. These are the times United players step up...when the going gets tough.
“You sign up for challenges, you sign up to rise to those challenges when you’re here.”
United still have Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea to play in the league, and travel to Paris Saint-germain in the Champions League next week and to Wolves in the FA Cup quarter-final in a fortnight.
“You have to go out and perform on a stage when it matters, even if you don’t maybe feel like it. Those are the demands of a United player,” Solskjaer said.
“We’ve got Arsenal coming up, PSG away, big games. These me in it and I’m back home in Norway, that will be strange probably,” he said.
“I’ve done a photo shoot or a video shoot on season tickets so I’m pleading for the fans to get their season tickets.
“If it’s me as a supporter or manager, I don’t know, but they should still buy their season tickets because the club is going somewhere.”
Asked if it was strange to be asked Lukaku to score first are the times that make them stay in the history of the club.”
Antonio Valencia is set to leave as a free agent this summer after United declined to take up the option to extend his deal by another season.
The deadline for exercising the one-year option expired yesterday. Solskjaer said: “I’m not sure if United and Antonio will agree on the next year.”
But he is confident United will agree a new deal with goalkeeper David de Gea, who is out of contract in 2020.
De Gea wants a deal worth £500,000 a week to put him on a par with Alexis Sanchez as the club’s top earner.
“The club and David are in dialogue so hopefully they’ll agree. It’s out of my hands.” to do the promotional work for next season, Solskjaer said: “It would be stranger to see yourself in the video if you’re not here.
“But, no, it is not strange doing it.”
Mirror Sport revealed yesterday that United are ready to ditch plans to talk to other potential managers – and Solskjaer says he has held talks with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward (left) over new signings. RALPH HASENHUTTL has urged Charlie Austin to give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a taste of his own medicine – by being Southampton’s super-sub.
Solskjaer earned legendary status at Old Trafford by coming off the bench to score the famous stoppagetime winner in the 1999 Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
Austrian Hasenhuttl, whose side face Solskjaer’s rejuvenated Manchester United today, believes Austin (below) can follow suit.
“Chas showed against Arsenal that, when he comes on and is immediately part of the game, he is very clever, and immediately can score,” said Hasenhuttl.
“Mainly, these are the experienced players. They have this special feeling to come in and be immediately part of the game.
“We call it ‘a joker’. I was a guy who was not the best player from the starting XI. But when I was coming on, I was immediately scoring.
“It is a good quality to have as a player, absolutely. Every team needs such a guy, because it helps a lot.”
Hasenhuttl believes cutting Paul Pogba down to size is the key to ending United’s unbeaten Premier League run under Solskjaer.
He added: “Pogba is not only a big player because he is very tall, but also because he can score in every situation now.
“He shows new qualities we have not seen before. It Is not easy to defend against him, but we will find the right solution.”