assessment that United have fallen from grace since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Vlaar said: “Let’s put it this way, I have certainly played against much better Manchester
United sides in the past than this one.
“It was noticable that the United players started to get irritated because they were not able to build up any pressure on us.
“It was possible for our defence to deal with them most of the time.
“And it was great to see that De Gea was wasting time towards the end.
You just don’t expect that from a big club like
United.”
“It was also significant that the Uni ted s uppor t e r s we r e applauding us after the game.”
AT HIS WIT’S END David de Gea is relieved at Dani de Wit miss STORM BREWING United boss Solskjaer Mason Greenwood (second right) and his fellow rookies after goalless draw against AZ Alkmaar OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has urged the Glazer family to hold their nerve and not sack him – because he’ll get it right at United.
The Norwegian boss heads to Newcastle today with his back against the wall as he battles to turn Manchester
United around. But he believes his days as a player under Sir Alex Ferguson and tough times at Molde and Cardiff in a short management career have prepared him to deal with the storm brewing at Old Trafford.
Only the club’s American owners and vice-chairman Ed Woodward know where their tipping point lies in calling a halt to their experiment with Solskjaer.
But despite the club’s worst start to a League season for 30 years after the dismal 1-1 draw with Arsenal, United’s 1999 Treble hero insists he’s not panicking, and is hoping the Glazers don’t either. “Do you know my career? It’s been loads of ups but some downs as well, both as a player and as a coach,” said Solskjaer.
“At Molde and Cardiff I had tough times. I’ve been at that bottom end in the table. It’s not a nice feeling.
“If you get time to do what you are setting out to do, it’ll be fine. This is a period now with some RASH MOVE United attack but none of the shots were on target fine lines going against us, but we’ll get there.”
Solskjaer will face the biggest crisis in his time as United manager if his stars lose at struggling Newcastle today.
“Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve in terms of results,” he said. “Only once this season have we played a game that we didn’t deserve to get anything.
“I know that we haven’t started as well as we hoped for. But we have more points in the games we have played this season compared to the equivalent fixtures against those same clubs last year.
“We have two more points than in the same games last season. So it’s not all that bad.” REAL MADRID have moved into pole position to sign Ajax’s £100millionrated Donny van Beek – just three months after Manchester United decided against signing the midfielder for almost a third of the price.
United failed to make a move for the 22-year-old Dutch international after his Amsterdam club quoted the Reds a £35m asking price.
And now Real have stepped up their efforts to land Van Beek at the end of the season – and have made it clear that they will not be put off by Ajax’s dramatically inflated valuation.
Van Beek, who came through the famed Ajax academy, was in the team beaten by United in the 2017 Europa League final.
Van Beek scored 12 times last season and has already helped himself to three in the current campaign.
United targeted Van Beek when it seemed like they were going to lose Paul Pogba to either Real or Juventus. FORMER Manchester United keeper Edwin van der Sar has slammed Champions League rules.
Ajax had to beat both PAOK Salonika and Apoel Nicosia to reach the group stage again this season.
And that was after a campaign which saw them make the Champions League semi-finals and do the double in Holland.
Van der Sar, CEO of the Amsterdam club, said: “I am aware that there is the UEFA ranking – but the system is totally unfair.
“Look what we must do before we can join the Champions League.
“Yet if Juventus win a number of points for Italy, Atalanta are automatically placed in a Champions League group. Why?”