Solskjaer: We play on our terms now

The boss was speaking as part of his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, where he explained that it's not just our recent results that have pleased him, but the attacking style we've demonstrated.

The Reds go into Wednesday night’s Premier League encounter with Sheffield United full of confidence, having won four of the last five matches in all competitions, with the 3-2 win against Liverpool in the Emirates FA Cup particularly boosting squad morale.

Ole sees the triumph over our arch-rivals as a clear indication of how the side have improved since his early days in the United hotseat.

"A game like this can be pivotal, can be important," he told reporters via video link. "I think we’ve shown in the two Liverpool games, the two [Manchester] City games as well that we’ve played lately, that we are competitive when we play on our own terms.

"Over the years, we have won a few of those games by tweaking the system, changing and suiting just for one game. I wanted to get to a place where we can into these games and feel competitive, and we have done.

"Of course, we have beaten Liverpool, City beat us, but it could easily have been the other way around in both games, such tight games. But that we are in these games and playing on our own terms, we feel we’re creating chances, and can win everyone of them, that’s been a big step forward for us.

"Looking back at the past seasons, we’ve had some decent results against City before as well and good performances against Liverpool, yet they beat us last year 2-0. That’s the one defeat we’ve had against them. This period is the first time we’ve gone with the way we normally set up the team."

Although Sheffield United are bottom of the table with one league victory this campaign, Ole expects his side to approach the midweek game with the same mentality as Sunday’s FA Cup tie.

"I’ve been part of the team that’s been winning leagues by making sure you perform to the best of your ability every game," the boss emphasised.

"It doesn’t matter who you play against. That might mean, in some of the big games, you might lose, and that if they’re tight matches you might not get the result you want.

"If you add the consistency in the games on paper you should be winning and everyone thinks there’s an easy fixture down the line… It’s never an easy fixture in the Premier League.

"We’ve had a good, strong defensive set-up and I think that’s the key to it. The ability to work hard and make sure we keep the ball out of our net because we got the quality to score."

During the second half of his press conference, Ole also revealed one of the reasons he believes United have surged up the table of late, with the boss highlighted how his men have paired work rate and dedication to the undeniable talent in our ranks.

"We get running stats and I look at it every game," Ole pointed out. "There’s no hiding place and I’m not hiding that back either. I want players who can outrun the opponent - that’s a demand.

"Again, when you've got quality players, sometimes you can accept a little bit less running but not much, because it takes a hell of a good player to be able to rest.

"Maybe once or twice, [Cristiano] Ronaldo was allowed a rest back in the day, but not many more have been allowed to at Man United."