‘We May Have To Look Somewhere Else,’ Solskjaer Warns Manchester United Forwards About Intense Competition

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed that although there has been immense improvement from his attacking trio – Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood, the club is still planning to get another forward to increase competition in the team.

The duo of Rashford and Martial has contributed 19 goals each for the Red Devils this season, while the young Greenwood has netted 12 times. Man Utd are currently on an unbeaten run of 14 games and the forwards have had a significant role to play in this phase. However, Solskjaer has still said that the trio will have to earn their spot in the team and not take their place for granted.

“You need competition for places at United. If you think you’ve got a divine right to be playing every game and are doing so well that we’re not going to look for players to replace you, you’re in the wrong place. We’ve always got to look at improving, and if they don’t... we might have to look somewhere else to get better because we have to be better,” Solskjaer said in a recent interview.

Man Utd did not seek a replacement for Romelu Lukaku, who moved to Inter Milan last summer, because Solskjaer had trust in his young strikers. “It was time to allow our forwards to feel that confidence and feel that demand of playing and being demanded to play every game,” Solskjaer added.

“At the end that’s how you get to another level, a different level ... all three (Martial, Rashford, and Greenwood) have had a good development this season but they can be so much better,” said the Man Utd boss.

Man Utd are currently placed sixth in the Premier League table, three points behind Wolves but the Red Devils have a game in hand. Solskjaer’s boys are set to take on Brighton and Bournemouth this week in the Premier League and will hope to close in the fourth place, which is the final spot for the Champions League qualification for next campaign.

Ahead of the summer transfer window, Solskjaer has been desperate to sign Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, another attacking player whose addition will further strengthen his side for the 2020-21 season. However, the transfer depends on Man Utd’s Champions League qualification apart from Dortmund’s labeled transfer fee, which is reportedly increased from $124 million to $146 million.