Ole Hopes to Cut the Gap On Top Four Rivals

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, has insisted that consistency will be the key to the Reds gaining a top-four spot this season.

United return from the latest round of international games nine points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, but the boss still believes achieving a place in next season’s Champions League is a realistic aim.

Prior to the two-week hiatus from club football, the Reds had been in good form as we’ve won five of our last six fixtures in all competitions.

Ole knows if we can recapture that level of performance again, starting on Sunday against Sheffield United, his team can close the gap to the sides currently occupying the Champions League spots.

“Yeah, it's a clear gap in the league between the top four,”

 the boss admitted during Friday’s pre-match press conference, ahead of our trip to Bramall Lane.

“There are, I don't know, many teams, within a range of three or four points. So, for us, it's about consistency now and getting as many points on the board as we can.

“We turned a corner we felt, performance-wise and results-wise after the last international break, but, then again, it's so tight and I'm just looking forward to this game. We need to have a good performance and a result.”

As with every season, December could prove to be a hugely significant part of the year, with the Reds facing nine games in the final month of the calendar, including big clashes against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City.

For Ole, he knows wins in games against our top-four rivals could help United reduce the points deficit to those higher in the standings.

“We've still got to keep looking up the table,”

 said the boss. 

“It's so close, but it's a long gap up to the top four. We've got City next month, very soon, so we've got a chance to claw some points back.

“We know we're getting players back, we're getting better and improving as a team, so, hopefully, we can challenge when it comes towards the end.

“I've seen Marcus [Rashford] talk about it this week, it's not just about getting into the top four, but that's a little bit of a goal for us, of course.”

 Solskjaer also provided an injury update, ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash at Sheffield United.

The Manchester United boss will be without Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba for the return to action, but there is brighter news with the return to training of a number of players this week.

A decision will be taken on when the likes of Axel Tuanzebe, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, Tim Fosu-Mensah, Eric Bailly and Nemanja Matic are fit enough to play. 

“Scott will be out for a little while, still,” Ole confirmed, in an interview with MUTV's Stewart Gardner.

“He has not been training with us, he is still recovering and, hopefully, we can see him, maybe, around the time of Tottenham or [Manchester] City [next month]. We don't know yet. he heals quickly, Scotty, but he is not going to be ready for Sheffield United or Astana, definitely. Probably not [Aston] Villa either.

“Paul is improving. Obviously he has been out and, when you are in a cast for that long, you do lose your muscle, so gradually you have to step it up. He has not started on his football work yet so it will still be a little while before we see him.”

It will be interesting to see if the weekend comes too soon for the players who are still working their way back to full fitness.

“Of course, it is always helpful when players are coming back and we have numbers in training,” he added. “We shouldn't expect too much of them because they have been out for a long, long time. Axel, the last game he played was Newcastle. Nemanja was injured in the international break that week. Luke has been out for three months now, more or less.

“At least they are training, training hard, and if we can give them some game time then that will be good.”

Marcos Rojo is out through injury and another Red who will not be involved against the Blades, for sure, is their on-loan keeper Dean Henderson.

The England squad member is ineligible due to the terms of the deal.