[ad_1]
Sunday's game in Leicester will see United face Harry Maguire, a central defender, Jose Mourinho, who wanted to sign before the start of the season.
The refusal of the club to sanction a move for the English international has reinforced the divisions between Mourinho and the board of directors. The fallout resulted in the manager being sacked in December as the team struggled.
Solskjaer, the interim director, at least publicly, seems less concerned than Mourinho by the lack of defense recruits this season, but lack of quality in this area remains a problem.
After taking up his duties at Old Trafford in December, Solskjaer became the first coach in United's history to win his first eight games, including six in the Premier League and two in the England Cup.
But that sequence ended Tuesday in a 2-2 draw with Burnley, when United's defense problems were revealed before a late fight brought back a point.
With this result, the Solskjaer team has qualified for this weekend's two-point game of fourth and last place qualifying for the Champions League.
United had defensive problems throughout the season, holding only four clean sheets in 24 Premier League games.
Executive Vice President Ed Woodward vetoed Maguire's application for signature by Mourinho, saying the English defender was not worth 70 million pounds ($ 92 million) included as the asking price.
Other targets have also disappeared last summer. Yerry Mina did not have a move because United was not satisfied with the amount they would have to pay for the agent fee. The Colombian defender eventually joined Everton from Barcelona.
Mourinho was also interested in Jerome Boateng from Bayern Munich, but United's board of directors worried about his injuries.
The coach at the time, United, felt that his four center-backs – Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof – were not up to par, and the poor defensive performance of the Team this season suggests that he could have scored a point.
Solskjaer preferred Jones and Lindelof as a central defensive team, with Bailly as a casual substitute.
All three gave the impression that an error is never far away, although Lindelof proved valuable for United against Burnley, scoring the equalizer that has preserved the undefeated record of Solskjaer.
United Attack
United's more offensive style under their interim manager has made them much more attractive to watch, with Paul Pogba thriving after getting a bigger license to go forward, but this approach also revealed their weaknesses in defense matters.
The pace of Leicester in attack could well cause problems to United Sunday, and Solskjaer knows it well.
"They beat Manchester City and Chelsea in the last two months, so it will be a tough match," he said. "It's a team full of energy and pace in attack, with Jamie Vardy, Demarai Gray and James Maddison.
"And they defend themselves well when they retire, it's hard to break them down, it will be a challenge."
Solskjaer has proven in the past that he could solve defense problems with the times. During his two stays as manager of the Norwegian club Molde, their goals record improved after his first season, helped by a sound investment in the transfer market.
The danger for the interim leader is that by next season, Woodward may have someone else at the head of Old Trafford.
[ad_2]
Source link
