Ole: Let's keep the Wolves fans quiet!
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says there are still two or three positions in his Europa League final XI that he needs to make a decision on.
The Reds' trip to Wolves on Sunday is a 'good chance' for squad players to audition for those parts, according to Solskjaer, including Dan James, who will return from a three-week-long injury lay-off.
The boss also spoke about playing in front of away supporters again, as the Reds rekindle our rivalry with the Midlands club.
Read on for the full transcript...
Ole, how good was it to have the fans back at Old Trafford on Tuesday?
“To be reunited with your fans is just brilliant. To feel the energy, the buzz. We’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time and it was fantastic.”
And now we’ll get to play in front of the Wolves fans for our final Premier League game which again will be a great experience…
“Of course, yeah. Football is supposed to be with fans and sometimes when you go away, one of the signs of doing well is keeping the away fans quiet, so that’s another challenge as you say.”
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How’s the squad shaping up for that one?
“Yeah, we’re looking forward to it, of course. We know that we’ve got a couple of players that we need to give minutes [to]. We need to rest a few. We’re focused. Of course, I understand people’s minds will be on the next game, which is the final, but to finish the league off, with the away form we’ve had this season, with a good performance, will be great.”
A couple of forwards have been back in training. How are they looking in terms of getting back on the pitch, Martial and James?
“Dan will be involved. Unfortunately, Anthony won’t make this one for the squad so he and Harry are still working hard to be available for the final. Of course they’ve been out for a long time.”
Yeah, so Harry’s working hard to try and get fit?
“We’re recovering with him and resting him. He’s not at the stage where he can work hard yet. He’s walking on it now but still it’s a long way from walking to playing football.”
The last game of the Premier League season has often given youngsters a chance to shine. We’ve just seen Hannibal named the Under-23s Player of the Season and Shola the Under-18s. Will they be involved and how good is it for them to receive those awards?
“It’s a sign of things to come. They’ve had good seasons both of them. Hannibal and Shola, both of them will be involved. Maybe we can get some minutes into them.”
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How important is it to finish the domestic season on a high? You could also finish it unbeaten away from home, which would be a great achievement…
“Yeah, of course. That just shows how good we’ve been away from home. We’ve really taken strides as a group and as a team. We’ve come back a few times after being 1-0 down, 2-0 down, and the whole season has been about developing, improving and I feel we’ve done that.”
Without second guessing your team selection, there will be a few places still up for grabs I imagine in the Europa League final, so that’s another chance for players to prove they want to be in that squad…
“You’ve got a team in your head, of course, but there are always two or three places you’re not sure about. Who’s confident, who’s playing well? It’s a good chance.”
Just finally, Wolves will also want to finish well. It’s a team you know well, having played them so often in your tenure here at United…
“It’s been a while now but we did meet them every other week when I got here at the start! No, I’m looking forward to playing them again. They’ve gone through a transitional season, if you like. They’ve tried a different system. They’ve got loads of young, exciting players.”