Man United are now in good shape

MANCHESTER. — Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he “can’t ask for more backing” from Manchester United after securing both Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane early in the transfer window.

Real Madrid defender Varane’s arrival should be confirmed in the coming days, United’s second major signing of the summer after Sancho’s £73m move from Borussia Dortmund.

And Solskjaer seemed both relieved and delighted with getting the bulk of United’s business done with two-and-a-half weeks until the start of the season, a far cry from previous seasons where the club have “scrambled” late in the window.

“I think, as I’ve said before, every manager would be happy the sooner and earlier the deals are done and this year we’ve managed to get it sorted,” Solskjaer said after Wednesday’s 2-2 friendly draw against Brentford in front of 30 000 fans at Old Trafford.

“I think the two we’ve got in will make a huge difference for us, both this season short-term but also long-term.

“Raphael is into his prime as a centre-back. He’s the same age as Harry (Maguire), a year older than Eric (Bailly) and a couple years older than Victor (Lindelof) so there I’ve got a fantastic group of centre-backs.

“With Jadon as well, with the young forwards we’ve got it’s exciting. As a manager you can’t ask for more backing when you’ve got these two in as early as we have.

“We’ve scrambled before towards the end of the window and now I think, I have to say, we’re in a good position. Pre-season is always difficult, though, in a championship year, never mind in the pandemic with the quarantining and isolation.

“You can see the team tonight, there’s loads of youngsters still. Everyone who has worked pre-season has done well and now they’re coming in drips and drabs.

“We haven’t got time to play catch-up so the others turning up late and don’t get a proper pre-season or are not fit when they come in, they might struggle to get into the team because today was a very good performance.” — Sky Sports.