Ole: Four-goal Goodison disaster was my lowest point
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has vowed there will be no repeat of Manchester United’s ‘capitulation’ at Goodison Park last season.
The United manager revealed that the crushing defeat by Everton ended the Old Trafford careers of some of his stars.
United lost 4-0 in April as Solskjaer hit his lowest point as United boss less than a month after being handed the job on a full-time basis.
The Norwegian heads back to Goodison tomorrow admitting he knew then that time was up for some of his players, even though he had to wait until the end of the season to make changes.
Solskjaer didn’t name them but Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling both started the game before leaving for Italy in the summer. Alexis Sanchez, an unused substitute that day, joined Lukaku on loan at Inter Milan.
‘That was the day, the lowest I’ve been,’ said Solskjaer. ‘I knew probably before then. One or two had their last chance, more or less, but we had to get to the summer first.
‘That was a capitulation. We had absolutely nothing about us.
‘With hand on heart, I can say 100 per cent these boys will never give in and never give up like that team did. These are the boys we want to build the team around.’
Asked if Lukaku is one of those he was referring to, Solskjaer said: ‘I’m not going to talk about Rom now. He’s done well in Italy and we’ve coped well without him.’
Anthony Martial’s fitness is unclear after he missed Thursday’s Europa League win over Club Bruges with a thigh injury. Odion Ighalo scored on his full debut in Martial’s absence and Solskjaer says the on-loan Nigerian striker is ready to play again if needed.
Ighalo dedicated his goal to his sister, Mary, who passed away in December. ‘I promised I would dedicate every goal I scored to her,’ he said. ‘Wherever she is, she is happy I’m doing that. I dreamt of playing for United and scoring my first goal. It’s a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life.’
UNITED face Austrian league leaders LASK in the last 16 of the Europa League after the draw kept the three British clubs apart. DRAW: Basaksehir v Copenhagen; Olympiacos v Wolves; Rangers v Bayer Leverkusen; Wolfsburg v Shakhtar; Inter Milan v Getafe; Sevilla v Roma; E. Frankfurt v Basle; LASK v Man Utd (March 12 and 19).