...but Solskjaer is not looking that far ahead as focus is on Saints
UNITED manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer isn’t getting ahead of himself following the Europa League draw.
The Reds now know they will meet either FC Copenhagen or Istanbul Basaksehir in the quarter-finals, which will be held in Germany next month.
With a 5-0 advantage already secured from the first leg of the tie with LASK prior to football’s suspension, United are almost guaranteed a spot in the last eight already ahead of the second leg at Old Trafford on August 5.
Their pathway to the final was drawn on Friday, and United could come up against Premier League rivals Wolves, Olympiacos, Sevilla or Roma in the semis, while there could even be a final against some familiar faces on August 21 if they and Inter Milan both make it.
However, Solskjaer isn’t thinking that far ahead and is fully focused on finishing the domestic season strongly before attentions turn to Europe.
“Well, I don’t want to look too far because I just think we should focus on the next game,” Solskjaer said ahead of tomorrow night’s Premier League clash with Southampton.
“We’re in a position now where we’re just focusing on the league but, of course, when you look at the ties that can come - we could play Wolves, we could meet Ashley [Young] and Romelu [Lukaku, both of Inter] so there’s definitely games to be looking forward to and we just have to keep on our run.
“Hopefully, we can go through to the quarter-finals but again, as we said, it’s about finishing off the
LASK tie first when they come to Old Trafford.”
From the quarter-finals, the competition will become a one-legged knock-out tournament with all the games being hosted in Germany as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s a change Solskjaer is excited for.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s like a mini tournament,” he added.
“I’ve been involved in a European Championship and a World Cup. We’ll be living tight together abroad and we’ve got some staff here that have been involved in those kinds of tournaments, so we’ll prepare really well and, hopefully, we can last more than just the one game.
“We’re playing well and getting to a high level and standard of football, and hopefully we can just carry that on into Europe and into next season.”