Solskjaer: I don’t know how much I have to spend
VIRUS HAS LEFT TRANSFER PLANS UP IN THE AIR ADMITS BOSS
OLE Gunnar Solskjaer admits United will only have a clear outlook on the next transfer window once their season ends.
The Reds are five points adrift of the final Champions League qualifying place in the Premier League table but have seven fixtures left. They could still return to the competition if they finish fifth and City’s ban from European competitions is upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, or if they win the Europa League final on August 21 in Cologne.
M.E.N. Sport reported this month United’s moves for certain targets depend on Champions League qualification, the coronavirus pandemic has already cost the club £28m.
“I think the pandemic has hit everyone really hard,” Solskjaer said. “I still think we need to wait and see how things are panning out to know the real effects, to know what kind of financial state we are in.
“You see some teams invest, some teams don’t. We’ll have to take a big look at things ourselves to see how hard we’ve been hit. I know the club has announced a few numbers before.
“It’s not for me to say we are going to have X amount because I don’t really know. I don’t really know how hard we have been hit.
“We are a financially strong club, but we are also probably being hit more than anybody else. Let’s see how quickly we can get our fans back into the stadium and, of course, the league position is going to be important for us this season.
“If we can get a trophy, the FA Cup or the Europa League - the Europa League will also qualify us for the Champions League.
“There’s still a lot of uncertainty and these three or four months, every businessman in the world, every footballer in the world, I think everyone is still unsure what the effect will be.”
Louis van Gaal proclaimed his objective at United was to deliver a ‘title,’ which supporters thought was a reference to the Premier League, yet the definition changed when the Dutchman referred to the 2016 FA Cup success as a ‘title.’
Jose Mourinho did likewise with the League Cup and Europa League, and Solskjaer is another who regards a cup triumph as a ‘title.’
He said: “Now there’s at least four, maybe five teams that can win the league and the cups, so I think it’s more difficult now.
“We’ve got to be honest enough to say that.
“I think all the managers would think if you win the Carabao Cup it’s a title.
“We want the first title. This team need to feel how it feels to win and that will spur them on to win more. The first title is always important for a team.”