'We will be doing business' – Solskjaer wants early start to summer transfers after taking permanent Man Utd job
The Norwegian wants to seal some signings for next season before the current campaign is over as he plots the club’s return to the top of the game
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has promised Manchester United will make an early start to their summer transfer business after confirming the Norwegian as permanent coach.
United announced on Thursday that Solskjaer has signed a three-year contract with the club three months after he was appointed as caretaker coach until the end of the season following Jose Mourinho’s dismissal.
Under Solskjaer, the Old Trafford outfit have fought their way back into contention for a top four finish in the Premier League this season and overturned a first-leg deficit to knock Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League and book a place in the quarter-finals.
With 14 wins from 19 games, the former Red Devils star has convinced the board he can take the club forward and he is eager to tie down a few players for next season even before the current one finishes.
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“When I got the job we were 11 points behind fourth. Now we have a great chance to get top four or even top three. That’s the short term target in the league,” he told reporters in his first press conference since being made permanent coach.
“We have been discussing how to move forward. That doesn’t mean X amount of money or X amount of players, but now it’s easier to be clear about what we need to do. We will do some business this summer.”
He added: “There’s been so many players that have been written about, so many agents in touch with our administration that want to come here. I’m sure when we decide what we have to do, hopefully we’ll get them by pre-season.
“Everything is step by step. A huge club with loads of tradition, it’s about taking it step by step getting the right people in the right positions, but we can’t complain. It’s a fantastically ran club.
“The lure of the Champions League is important for some players but to play for Man Utd you know you will be here playing Champions League over your contract. We are in a great position to get in but that’s not decided until May 12. Probably we need to get going before then with talks with players to come in and who’s going to stay.”
Asked if he believes the clarification on his future will convince some star players to remain at Old Trafford, Solskjaer replied: “You’d have to ask them, but to know who the manager is next season is helpful for any player. We have a couple of players we are in talks with and hopefully we can get their futures sorted.
But the coach warned the current players that they must work hard to convince him they deserve to be part of his squad.
“Players that are complacent don’t last at this club, we have to work harder, we have some targets,” he said. “I want a United team that’s one of the hardest working and fittest teams in the league, I think the players know my expectations.
“The players want to come in and do the work and play football we had some great chats today but most of it was about Watford, we are thinking about that, now they know I’m staying for a bit longer than expected.”