Manchester United caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says any players ‘feeling sorry for themselves’ risk being dropped for upcoming games.
The Norwegian tasted his first defeat in charge at Old Trafford in the Champions League on Tuesday night, as Paris Saint Germain won 2-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie.
United were outclassed and they now face an uphill struggle to qualify for the quarterfinals, with the second leg to be played at the Parc Des Princes on March 3.
Full-time at Old Trafford. #MUFC #UCL pic.twitter.com/gv8Ai6ICXw
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 12, 2019
The fixture list has not been kind to the Red Devils between now and then either, with a trip to Chelsea in the FA Cup up next on Monday, before a huge Premier League showdown against Liverpool six days later.
Solskjaer has fired a warning to his United stars as he aims to banish the memory of the PSG defeat as quickly as possible, stating that he will not tolerate anyone dwelling on the game.
“Don’t feel sorry for yourself,” said Solskjaer – as per Yahoo Sport. “This is something to learn from. It was a level up from what we’re used to.
“That’s part of learning when you’re young. Many of our players are very young.
“It was the first time Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford will play a proper Champions League game at Old Trafford. Learn from that and move forward.
“We have Chelsea and Liverpool in the next two games. Whoever feels sorry for themselves will not play probably.”
United had won 10 of their last 11 fixtures across all competitions before PSG spoiled the party and it is now imperative that they get back on track with a big win against Chelsea.
The FA Cup now looks like their only realistic chance of silverware this term and for the sake of Solskjaer’s long term job prospects, another loss is unthinkable.
Next up: Chelsea away in the #EmiratesFACup. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/yLOxIIMrD8
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 13, 2019
PSG represented a step up in class compared to the sides United have faced domestically over the last two months, but they will be stronger for the experience of going toe to toe with such quality opposition.
Between now and May the Red Devils still have plenty to play for and if Solskjaer can galvanise his squad quickly, do not bet against another thrilling winning run in the coming weeks.
