Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists it will be ‘easy’ to recall Manchester United players but difficult to drop others as he faces a selection dilemma against Burnley.
Solskjaer made five changes to the United side at Arsenal and the returning Alexis Sanchez scored, while Romelu Lukaku created United’s first two goals and substitute Anthony Martial – who replaced Sanchez – clinched the tie in the 82nd minute.
Marcus Rashford has scored five goals in six starts under Solskjaer and emerged along with Martial at the Emirates Stadium, where United targeted Arsenal on the counter-attack. Rashford and Martial have been regulars over the last month in a three-pronged attack with Jesse Lingard and could start at Old Trafford on Tuesday night.
Solskjaer was accustomed to demotions under Sir Alex Ferguson, who usually had four strikers to choose from. Ferguson could be so harsh with Solskjaer that, in December 1999, he dropped the Norwegian at West Ham a week after Solskjaer scored four times in the 5-1 thrashing of Everton.
Solskjaer has guided United to an immaculate eight wins from eight but struggled to single out a specific highlight from his first month in caretaker charge.
“I don’t really reflect on it that way,” Solskjaer added. “But every single game. When you go away to Spurs and win that game it’s fantastic. When you go to Arsenal, and win that one in a much better manner, that’s the way that I’ve seen the progress and the improvement. That’s what pleases me the most.
“Everyone buys into the ideas we’re having, the sessions we had before Arsenal about how we should defend better, especially the back seven plus the keeper. We let the three forwards just do an attacking job although Jesse did a defensive job. Just the whole improvement, I have to say.”
Martial netted in Solskjaer’s first game in caretaker charge at Cardiff but had gone a month without a goal until his impact at Arsenal. Solskjaer joked the Frenchman was overdue a goal.
“Finally, he’s scoring! He scored against Cardiff and that was it for Anthony for a while!” Solskjaer joked. “Yeah, it’s difficult to leave players out but it’s easy to put players in. That’s the thing.
“As long as you have got players to put in, that’s no problem because someone has to play, you can only play with 11 but as long as you have got so many players like I have that’s a good problem, an easy problem. Because I have been on the end of a couple of ‘I need to speak to you son’ and he has given me the reason why and he’s told when I am going to play again, so that’s no problem.
“Everyone who wants to be part of a successful team has to have the understanding that I have my time and the other players in the squad have their time and we do this together.”
Solskjaer has guided United to an immaculate eight wins from eight but struggled to single out a specific highlight from his first month in caretaker charge.
“I don’t really reflect on it that way,” Solskjaer added. “But every single game. When you go away to Spurs and win that game it’s fantastic. When you go to Arsenal, and win that one in a much better manner, that’s the way that I’ve seen the progress and the improvement. That’s what pleases me the most.
“Everyone buys into the ideas we’re having, the sessions we had before Arsenal about how we should defend better, especially the back seven plus the keeper. We let the three forwards just do an attacking job although Jesse did a defensive job. Just the whole improvement, I have to say.”