Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
OLE’S STILL THE MAN FOR UNITED
Reds chief Woodward insists Solskjaer’s vision exactly matches the club’s: Winning some trophies An attacking gameplan Giving youth a chance
ED WOODWARD has opened up on Manchester United’s troubled season and launched an impassioned defence of under-fire boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Going into Sunday’s clash with arch-rivals Liverpool, United are in 12th place in the Premier League – 15 points behind the leaders and just two off the relegation zone.
The Reds have suffered their worst start to a league campaign for 30 years and are, arguably, at their lowest ebb since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, having delivered the club’s 20th title.
Since being appointed United’s permanent boss in March, former striker Solskjaer has won just five of his subsequent 23 matches, with many fans feeling that the 46-year-old is out of his depth.
Against that backdrop, the arrival of Liverpool – who need a victory to equal Manchester City’s record of 18 consecutive Premier League wins – could not have come at a worse time for United.
But, ahead of Sunday’s potentially seismic clash, Woodward has given his full backing to Solskjaer, despite the dismal run the Norwegian has endured since getting the job full-time.
“Ole’s vision maps exactly to the core three football objectives we have,” said Woodward.
“We must win trophies, we must play attacking football and we must give youth its chance.
“Last season, we were the Premier League’s leading club in terms of the most match minutes given to our own academy graduates.
“We should all be proud that the significant investments we have made in our academy – spanning recruitment, facilities and analytics – are now bearing fruit.
“There’s a lot more we need to do in that, but that’s coming in the next few years. We know this is a strong, competitive advantage for us and an area that we’ll continue to focus on and invest in. But this remains the heart of the club.
“The middle section of last season – after Ole’s arrival – feels most relevant to what we want to achieve and where we want to be.
“We saw a team playing fast, fluid football, with a clear representation of the style and philosophy the manager wants.
“Ole has also instilled the discipline back into an environment where we may have lacked it in recent years. He’s building a squad that respects the club’s history, in which players work hard and respect their team-mates.
“No one is bigger than the club.”
There is an acceptance at United that poor recruitment is the root cause of their current plight, signing too many players who simply were not up to the standard required or, in some cases, past it.
Since 2013, the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Radamel Falcao, Angel Di Maria, Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay and Alexis Sanchez have all come in and flopped in the famous red shirt.
United have restructured their recruitment department, adding 45 scouts since Fergie retired, while greater forward planning means next summer’s transfer targets will be identified by January.
If any of those targets become available in January, United will move for them, although there is an acknowledgment that the midseason window is a notoriously difficult time in which to buy. There has also been a deliberate shift in focus from the failed policy of signing established players to one focused on younger players, who will buy into Solskjaer’s long-term vision and playing style.
“The changes we saw over the summer have resulted in a very young squad,” added Woodward (left). “But it’s also a squad with the players and culture to provide a base camp for us to build and grow from as we start our new journey.” The message from the top at United is simple: there may be short-term pain for long-term gain – but the path they have embarked on is the right one. With the right man – Solskjaer – at the helm.
‘Ole’s building a squad that respects our history. No one is bigger than the club’