Man U manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident of hitting the ground running, in the wake of their disappointment last season where the Red Devils had finished in sixth spot.

Said Solskjaer, “It was not a good season for all of us. Our target had been to play Champions League football but as everyone knows, we did not make it.”

The manager continued, “So we know that this coming season, we have to do better. If you play for Man U, you are expected to play for trophies. Naturally, we expect this season to be much better and I am sure that we are ready to face any challenge.”

Solskjaer had been speaking at the pre-match press conference of the International Champions Cup match at the Singapore National Stadium this evening.

Encouraging moments in training

Based on how the pre-season has gone so far, Solskjaer feel that Man U have had several encouraging moments in training, which points to a better upcoming league season for the Red Devils.

He said “We have had a couple of good days in training and it has been good. We will continue to work on a few things and the game tomorrow night against Inter Milan is going to be another stepping stone against hard opposition.”

The game against Inter

And continued Solskjaer, “Tomorrow, we will be giving players a strong 45 minutes, and some will get 60 or 70 minutes of play. We will be taking this game seriously and using it to gauge where we are at.”

Luke Shaw and David De Gea are two players that Solskjaer is looking at starting against Inter. He said, “Luke had a decent training yesterday and David is well enough to train today so we are aiming to get at least 60 minutes out of him.”

The last time that Man U had been in Singapore was in 2001 – when Solskjaer himself had made the trip as a striker and scored two goals.

Singapore sports scene is looking great

Now, judging from the improvements to the Singapore infrastructure that he has seen this time around, Solskjaer has a great impression of the sports scene in Singapore.

He said “It is fantastic here. The pitch is awesome. I can only speak from what I have seen but I am sure that you can make this a fantastic place for more sports.”

Anthony Martial will not disappoint his fans again 

As well, for the coming season ahead, the Man U coach also added that the club’s fans can expect Anthony Martial to perform much better come August, with a new and improved attitude.

Martial had been Man U’s top goalscorer when he had first joined the Red Devils in 2015 but since then, he has failed to live up to the early hype and has been a disappointment at the club.

Said Solskjaer, “Martial will be a world-class forward. If you have been following him for the past few seasons, the way that he has come back and his attitude towards the game has been spot-on. I think that he has the talent to score goals and to improve. Together with Marcus (Rashford), he will be even better than last season.”

Fred just needed time to adapt

On that note, Solskjaer also expects the club’s Brazilian signing Fred to be performing to his high standards, after a disappointing debut for Man U last season.

Said Solskjaer, “I am not surprised that a player from Brazil who has played in Ukraine, finds it hard at the beginning of the season, but his talent is there and I am confident that we will see it at the end of this season.”

Europa League will be taken seriously 

He also reassured members of the media present, that despite not qualifying for the Champions League, that Man U will be taking the Europa League seriously, despite many clubs considering this to be Europe’s second-tier competition.

Said Solskjaer “The Europa League is a great opportunity to get involved and give youngsters such as Tahith Chong and Angel Gomes playing time, but we also see it as a chance to win a trophy.”

He added “The last time we were in it, we won the Europa League – it is a great way to qualify for the Champions League and we will go all out to win it. While we will be using the competition to give the kids some experience, we won’t be just relying on the kids.”