Monday Night SPECIAL

Alexis Sanchez scored twice here in December. Does he pose the same threat now?

WE are going to be playing against a very good player and if we give him a lot of time and space, and if we give him a lot of opportunities to do the things he is good at, he is likely to succeed.

He is a very good player. I can’t make any comparisons about his style at Manchester United and his style at Arsenal. You’d have to ask Jose what he thinks about his adaptation to life in Manchester but we know he’s a very good player. Unfortunately for us he’s one of many good players that Manchester United possess so life for us could perhaps have been a bit easier if he was their only good player but he is far from that.

Are United still working out how to get the best from him?

I DON’t follow them that closely. What I see of Manchester United is Match of the Day and you know from Match of the Day there is as much talking and analysis as what you see from the excerpts that are edited from the game.

I’m not in a good position to make a comment on that. What I will say is I repeat that we know he’s a very good player, we know he can score goals. He has been doing that on a regular basis. We know he can create goals. We know he is a busy, hard-working player who is not going to give up easily.

Can a packed Selhurst Park on a Monday night intimidate United?

IF it is going to be buzzing, and give us the real Palace support that the fans are more than capable of giving us, then we’ve got to try to give them something to buzz about. My hope would be to see the place rocking because that would mean we would be buzzing around the Man United penalty area a few times, as that’s what gets the fans going.

What’s the secret to finding form at this stage of the season?

tHE secret is accepting you have no alternatives. there is no alternative but to keep your nerve and to remain as calm as you can. And certainly to never lose sight of the fact that the team will only survive if they are good enough, work hard enough and do well enough. as told to KIERAN GILL

Was the last hour against Chelsea the benchmark for United?

WE have very good matches and we have very good periods of matches. It’s a quality to know how to play against teams who at certain moments are better than you.

I always say to my players, even in matches where we are dominant and we are the best team, there will always be a period where the opponents react and are better than you. You have to know how to play in these moments.

Has Marcus Rashford progressed as much as you expected?

At his age, what he’s doing is more than enough, and the experience he’s getting at every level is more than enough for us to be happy with what we think is going to be his future. We love him and we believe in him, and he’s going to have chances. Do you have to reassure him? I DON’t reassure anyone. the main reassurance for him is he is always selected. You sometimes put in doubt if he is going to be selected for the World Cup. It’s up to Gareth Southgate. If he trusts him, he selects him. It doesn’t matter if he plays for Manchester United.

Can Rashford step in for Lukaku when Zlatan Ibrahimovic goes?

UNFORtUNAtELY, Zlatan this season has not been an option. the good thing with Marcus is he can play in the three attacking positions. He’s a fantastic option for us. as told to CHRIS WHEELER