AT LEAST OLE HAS SORTED OUT HIS BACKSTOP

Solskjaer has got it right in attack AND defence

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer has endorsed his case to become Manchester United’s permanent boss by getting it right at both ends of the pitch.

The caretaker boss has been lauded for bringing back their cavalier style of play, in keeping with the club’s rich attacking heritage.

But clean sheets in their last four domestic games has shown there is more to him than simply gung-ho attacking, with United showing defensive discipline.

Under Solskjaer, they have conceded nine goals in 14 games in all competitions, compared to 35 in 24 under former boss Jose Mourinho, before his sacking on December 18.

Moreover, the Norwegian has claimed half of United’s 52 points in just 10 games, while it took Mourinho 17 games to reach the 26-point mark before he was axed.

In Sunday’s 0-0 draw at home to arch-rivals Liverpool, Solskjaer was forced to use all three of his subs before halftime, after a glut of injuries.

United lost Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard to injury inside 43 minutes, with Marcus Rashford forced to limp through the full 90 minutes after an early knock.

But the way in which United kept the Premier League leaders at bay, defending with diligence, showed a different facet to Solskjaer the manager, according to striker Romelu Lukaku (above).

“That’s what Ole wants,” said Lukaku. “Everybody is talking about us being offensively really good.

“But defensively we’re doing really well. Chris Smalling coming in for the last couple of games has been brilliant and Luke Shaw has been the best player of the season for me.

“Ashley Young has been consistent and David de Gea is the best number one in the world. From the midfield to the front, we try to help out and make sure the defence has an easy task.

“We did that and it was all about the team. You always want to win these type of games, but for us it was about being mentally strong, having had players injured. We had to be resilient.

“We had some chances, but it was all about making sure we don’t lose and grab the point. Now we have to move forward and focus on Crystal Palace on Wednesday.”

Defender Shaw revealed United’s players went “crazy” in the dressing room at halftime on Sunday, leading to a much-improved second half.

United struggled in the first half against their old rivals, with the enforced changes before the break compounding a poor first 45 minutes.

But Shaw said a heated exchange at half-time allowed United to regroup and emerge for the second half with greater purpose.

“We were all very disappointed with how the first half went,” said Shaw.

‘We didn’t play well at all. We gave too many balls away too cheaply and luckily that didn’t cost us.

“But we had a change of formation, we had a good chat at half-time.

“Everyone was going crazy. But we said, ‘Relax and we just need to play our game’ and the second half was better.

“We still weren’t at our best but, overall, I think we created the best chances and I feel we should have won.”