Solskjaer’s respect for the Seagulls
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United’s players are approaching the clash against Brighton with “bright eyes” given their admiration for a side capable of making their life difficult today.
Three weeks on from narrowly beating high-flying West Ham 1-0, the second-placed Red Devils finally return to Premier League action today when the Seagulls arrive at Old Trafford.
Brighton are six points clear of the relegation zone after thrashing struggling Newcastle United 3-0 before the international break, when Graham Potter’s side finally got the kind of result their positive play has deserved.
Solskjaer says those performances have caught the eye at United, who needed a contentious Bruno Fernandes penalty that was taken after the final whistle to seal a 3-2 win at the Amex in September.
“Since I came we’ve played them quite a few times and we’ve always had some hard-fought games, difficult games,” Solskjaer said.
“When you prepare for a game against Brighton you can see all our players with bright eyes as they respect the way they play and the quality that they’ve had against us.
“We know that we have to be on our best to earn the right to play because you have to work really hard to get the ball off them.”
David De Gea started the Premier League win in East Sussex, with Dean Henderson getting the nod for the 3-0 Carabao Cup win at the Amex just days later.
The latter has started United’s last six matches in all competitions after the Spain international returned to his homeland for the birth of his first child, with Solskjaer facing a “difficult decision” as to who to start.
“The two keepers will probably be needed in these last nine plus hopefully five more games,” Solskjaer said. “Both know that we value them both really highly.
“It’s a difficult decision to leave one of them out. It’s an easy decision to give them the nod and ‘you’ll play’. The difficult one is to leave one of them out.”