Rooney helped turn fortunes for Reds

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer explained how phone conversations with Wayne Rooney helped him to mastermind United’s win against Cardiff.

United scored five goals in a Premier League game for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013 and got back to winning ways after the dismal defeat at Anfield six days before.

Solskjaer only had two days with the team at the training ground before the game, following the sacking of Jose Mourinho, and admitted that he had been on the phone to his former teammate Rooney to ask for his advice.

“I had Thursday, Friday with them, maybe all the texts and advice from Wazza helped us,” Solskjaer told BT Sport.

“He told us to make them enjoy football, smile and go forward and just be Manchester United and that’s what I asked for them, it’s been a tough week for them and for me, even though enjoyable.

“There’s been loads of things swirling round the head but they’ve responded perfectly.”

Rooney, who was on punditry duty for BT for the game, asked if Solskjaer had been working on getting the full backs, Ashley Young and Luke Shaw, further up the pitch in training.

“We had a little session on patterns of play, we wanted Ashley and Luke pushing up,” he said.

“We wanted Luke supporting Anthony because he is great in one vs one and Ash cutting in more on the right hand side and it has worked well today.

“I think the easiest thing in the world to work on is your work rate because it’s free and it’s just attitude and it’s the application of the boys.

“Because of the occasion they maybe make a run or two more than normal, but you’ve got players like Jesse and Rash up top, they do run a lot.”