This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking after his side’s 2-1 victory over rivals Manchester City, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hailed the impact of Manchester United’s summer signings.
What did he say?
The Red Devils have enjoyed one of their finest weeks in recent memory, with a mid-week win over Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham, followed up by their derby-day triumph on Saturday.
In an impressive first-half performance, United raced to a 2-0 lead, and were perhaps unlucky not to have been out of sight in terms of the score-line. But having sealed the victory, Solskjaer took a moment to pay tribute to the club’s three summer arrivals: Daniel James, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
He said (as quoted by the club’s official website): “Today is why we have signed these three players. They fit perfectly into the way I want to play football and how the club wants to play. They’re humble lads, hard working, great values. Aaron, he’s playing against Sterling out there, Mahrez out there, De Bruyne out there and they just couldn’t get past him.
“It’s a Man United performance in my mould. I love boys going forward. Of course there were times today where we didn’t keep the ball as well as we could have. But we’re improving all the time and the boys are getting experiences to remember. They’re young boys. Aaron today was again fantastic.”
Encouraging sign
Whilst United came under a lot of criticism for their transfer business in the summer – Paul Scholes infamously branded their decision to sell Romelu Lukaku to Inter a “mistake” – there can be no question that the three players who did arrive at Old Trafford have shown that they can have a long and promising future. James has scored three times and provided five assists, Wan-Bissaka is in the top five for most tackles made in the Premier League, and Maguire produced one of his best performances in a Red Devils shirt on Saturday with a mammoth ten clearances to his name.
A real test for any fan: Can you name all of these obscure Man Utd signings?
It means that perhaps the club can be trusted to buy very well in the transfer market, and with the January window coming up, it could well be very exciting times for United. A few more players who “fit perfectly” into what Solskjaer wants could be the key to them securing Champions League football for next season. They got their signings right in the summer, now it’s their chance to get it spot on again in the winter.
Meanwhile, Manchester United fans have lauded this ace for his immense display against Manchester City.
