The Hottest Football Blog

Solskjaer delighted with Eric Bailly’s impressive injury comeback

 Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has expressed his delight after Eric Bailly made his first appearance of the season for the club. The Ivorian has been sidelined for most of the current campaign following his knee ligament injury in pre-season and that meant that he had spent the past few months under rehabilitation.


On Monday night, Solskjaer chose to hand Bailly with his maiden appearance of the campaign with Victor Lindelof down with an illness and the Ivorian proved his worth with a calm and collective performance in a back three involving Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire. While Shaw and Maguire fared impressively with multiple clearances and interceptions on the night, Bailly equally excelled as he managed to make three key blocks.
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Solskjaer NeverHad Doubts about Managing United

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed that he never doubted his ability to lead the Red Devils even when he did not have a great amount of managerial career when he stepped in as the replacement for Jose Mourinho. Many criticised United for the hastiness shown with the decision to appoint Solskjaer, who does not have a great managerial record after being in charge of for spells so far. After a remarkable start to his United tenure, Solskjaer has once again given way for his critics to make comments. His United team have been performing poorly and inconsistently in the 2019-20 campaign.


The recent victories over Manchester City and Tottenham have gone a long way to improve the look of a poor campaign. Solskjaer has responded to his critics by claiming that he has always felt confident about his abilities. Those two crucial victories have put a gloss on the disappointing results achieved under the Norwegian. There have been heavy losses like the 4-0 defeat against Everton towards the end of last season. These two victories, however, have put United within touching distance of the top four. The 1-1 draw with Everton may have seen the club drop more points against the Merseyside blues, but United are without a defeat in five games across all competitions.
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Paul Pogba Sheds Advice to Young Players at United

 

Paul Pogba has claimed that Manchester United may just be the biggest club in the world. He has requested players to make the most of their opportunities while at the club. The midfielder was speaking ahead of the club’s match against Everton, which would be the 4000th game in a row in which United have been able to include at least one homegrown player in the squad. Incredibly, this run goes back to 1937 and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been able to maintain this run going with a youthful squad that has been enriched by the Academy.


The recent 4-0 win against AZ Alkmaar witnessed at least nine players from the squad. Pogba is one of those youngsters who came through the setup after joining the club as a 16-year-old. Even though he left the team for Juventus shortly after making his professional debut, Pogba has been a major influence since his then-world record transfer back to Old Trafford. As a result, Pogba knows all about the pressure of being a youngster in the United academy but it is also represents a very good opportunity for players to make a major impression at the top level. Many youngsters fail to make it to the top even when having the talent as they simply do not realise the value of their possession until they have lost it.
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Rio Ferdinand backs Solskjaer to continue as Manchester United boss

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won’t be sacked from the head coach role at the Red Devils anytime soon. The Norwegian tactician was initially recruited by United in December last year as the interim manager and the team’s performances over the next three months convinced the board to hand him with the permanent role.


Since then, the club’s fortunes have completely reversed with just five wins from 23 matches in all competitions and recent reports have claimed that Solskjaer could be sacked, should the Red Devils suffer a heavy defeat to Liverpool in the forthcoming league game. In response to this, Ferdinand has said that the board should have anticipated the current situation, given the performances of the squad have not been good enough.
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Van der Sar sends warning to Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea

Former Manchester United star Edwin van der Sar has said that the Red Devils must find a quick resolution over the future of goalkeeper David de Gea. The Spain international has been in a contract standoff with the Red Devils over the past year and he has just 11 months remaining on his existing deal with the side.


Speaking to reporters, Van der Sar said that a decision over De Gea’s future should be made in the near future, considering the club are running out of time to make money through the Spaniard’s sale. He added that there are plenty of other goalkeepers who can take the step up and gave an example of himself after he joined the Red Devils at the age of 34.
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Neville urges Manchester United board to support Solskjaer

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has urged the Red Devils board to support manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the club go through a difficult phase. Solskjaer has placed the emphasis on building a young and hungry team but so far, that has not paid dividends with the Red Devils making a disappointing start to the season.

The likes of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James have played key roles since joining the club but there has nonetheless been a weakness in the central midfield department and upfront, where they have lacked a genuine goalscoring striker. Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said that the supporters may go through a lot of pain during the forthcoming 18 months where the club will continue with the recent transition phase. (more…)

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Neville fancies Harry Maguire to become Manchester United’s Van Dijk

Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes Harry Maguire has the credentials to become a key player for the Red Devils at the heart of the defence. The England international has made the headlines for the hefty £80m price tag in recent days, but that has not hampered him with a wonderful debut performance against Chelsea.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville praised the qualities of the former Leicester City defender and believes the defender has the qualities to become United’s very own Virgil van Dijk, he said: “Maguire looks secure and he looks strong. Every time the ball came near him in the air he won it and he never looked any different to how he was for England or Leicester. I think that was the main thing; coming here with a huge price tag in a big game as a Manchester United player for the first time it didn’t look like anything had changed. He has a really good temperament. It’s too early to say Maguire will make the same difference as Van Dijk, but there’s a chance.”

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Neville fancies Harry Maguire to become Manchester United’s Van Dijk

Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes Harry Maguire has the credentials to become a key player for the Red Devils at the heart of the defence. The England international has made the headlines for the hefty £80m price tag in recent days, but that has not hampered him with a wonderful debut performance against Chelsea.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville praised the qualities of the former Leicester City defender and believes the defender has the qualities to become United’s very own Virgil van Dijk, he said: “Maguire looks secure and he looks strong. Every time the ball came near him in the air he won it and he never looked any different to how he was for England or Leicester. I think that was the main thing; coming here with a huge price tag in a big game as a Manchester United player for the first time it didn’t look like anything had changed. He has a really good temperament. It’s too early to say Maguire will make the same difference as Van Dijk, but there’s a chance.”

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