Boss refuses to confirm his first choice XI

OLE Gunnar Solskjaer refused to confirm he has settled on a first XI at United.

Solskjaer named the same side for the third Premier League match running against Bournemouth – something United had not done since November 2006 – and triumphed 5-2 in United’s first five-goal haul at Old Trafford in a domestic game since Boxing Day in 2011.

United have moved up to fourth for at least five hours and their attacking trident of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, and Anthony Martial have plundered more goals than Liverpool’s titlewinning triumvirate.

The victory over Bournemouth marked United’s first three-game winning run in the league since January of last year but Solskjaer has no interest in granting untouchable status to his starters.

“I wouldn’t say that you could call it a first XI,” Solskjaer said. “We know we have to use the squad, we’ve had players who’ve played and really contributed,

“I can’t say this is like the XI that’s [always] going to play, no. Because Eric came in today, he’s important for us, Scott [McTominay] and Fred have been exceptional all season, it’s not easy leaving out Dan James either but we have started doing well. Every day and every game and every session is a chance to improve.

“We’ve seen improvement in Marcus, Mason and Anthony all season, so we will keep on improving the ones we’ve got but we will never stand still, we are always on the lookout for anything that is possible.

“The emphasis is on improving.”