Ole Gunnar Solskjaer not daunted by the top-four challenge

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said that he will take one game at a time as the Red Devils seek to close the gap on the top four during the backend of the campaign. The Mancunian giants recently hired Solskjaer as their interim boss following the sacking of Jose Mourinho and the 45-year-old has managed to deliver on his managerial debut after the Red Devils secured a comfortable 5-1 triumph on the road to Cardiff City.

Speaking after the game, Solskjaer highlighted that the team can’t look much forward with the festive schedule underway and he remains optimistic of recovering the eight-point deficit to the final Champions League position occupied by Chelsea, he said: “If we approach all the games like this – and we want them to approach them all like this – with combination play and playing the ball forward then I’ll be happy. We take one game at a time now. We’ve caught up eight or nine points before but we’ve got to go one step at a time. I was proud and humble at the reception from the fans, it has been an emotional all week. But it’s a start and we move on.”

United’s new boss has been partly assisted with a friendlier schedule for the festive period but the players still can’t take things for granted with the likes of Huddersfield Town and Newcastle United having beaten them during the previous campaign. The Red Devils are currently occupying the sixth position on the table and they are eight points behind Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea, who suffered a disappointing 1-0 home defeat to Leicester City over the weekend.

Next up, United are scheduled to host Huddersfield Town on Boxing Day and thereafter, they have matches against Bournemouth, Newcastle United, and Reading (FA Cup) before they face a tough league challenge against Tottenham Hotspur on the road.