Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warns that 'personal agendas' will not be tolerated at Manchester United


  • English
  • Arabic

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has warned his players that "personal agendas" will not be tolerated as he seeks a change of culture at Old Trafford.

Solskjaer has overseen a huge turnover in his squad since taking charge in 2018.

Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez were high-profile departures to Inter Milan, while Chris Smalling, Matteo Darmian, Antonio Valencia, Ander Herrera, Ashley Young and Marcos Rojo also left in a mix of permanent and loan deals during that period.

Solskjaer is much happier with the current makeup of his squad having recruited a number of young talents in Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Daniel James and Bruno Fernandes.

But the Norwegian said he would have no qualms about getting rid of another negative influence, even if it meant unbalancing his squad.

"Personality is so important. We're a team in a team environment," Solskjaer said in an interview with fanzine United We Stand. "You want players to have a bit of ego and edge but they have to be able to adapt. The players started with negative thinking, whereas now it's positive thinking.

"There were other things I didn't like last year, some personal agendas which couldn't be sorted out until the summer.

"There will always be players who want to play more in football, but if a team is to be successful then players have to be available at different times. I feel in this group we don't have one bad apple."

Solskjaer enjoyed a dream return to the club he graced as a player when United reeled off a long unbeaten run and knocked Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League in 2019.

But the manager said he learned more about who he could trust and count on when United stuttered badly at the end of his first season.

"When you win, everything is easy. It's when you hit difficult times that you can see who you want and who has the right mentality," he said. "We didn't see that until after Paris, when we went into a bad run.

"That's when I saw who I could build a long-term, successful squad around. You need some egos in football, but it has to be team first."

Suggested picnic spots

Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
 
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes 

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte

Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000

Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm

Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm

Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km

At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17

At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253

UAE players with central contracts

Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

MATCH INFO

Burnley 1 (Brady 89')

Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')

The Baghdad Clock

Shahad Al Rawi, Oneworld