Manchester United’s current crop of players should look at the club’s tradition and rich history to inspire them on their own journey to success, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said.
United have won a record 20 top-flight titles but have failed to get their hands on the Premier League trophy since the departure of manager Alex Ferguson in 2013.
Solskjaer’s side, whose starting XI this season have the lowest average age in the Premier League, travel to Leicester City on Sunday for a game that could determine whether they qualify for next season’s Champions League.
“We want them (the United players) to learn about the traditions and history of the club and what the players before them have done,” Norwegian Solskjaer told Sky Sports.
“The club’s former players have played so many vital games at the end of the season — a cup final, a game to win the league, a game to get into the Champions League.
“The players now are learning what the other players through history have been through. Marcus Rashford or Mason Greenwood, they’ve been in the academy for so many years and seen so many players doing this before them, so it’s great learning.”
United are third on 63 points, above Chelsea courtesy of a much better goal difference. They are also one point ahead of fifth-placed Leicester.
A win for Leicester would guarantee a top-four spot, while United’s fate would be decided by Chelsea’s result against Wolverhampton Wanderers. If Chelsea lose, a draw would be enough for United to qualify while Leicester will finish fourth on goal difference and return to the Champions League for the first time in three years.
Although two draws in their last three league games have left United still chasing a top-four spot, Solskjaer believes his side are well placed to secure a Champions League berth.
“We hoped to arrive at the last game of the season needing to beat Leicester to go past them — I think I said that quite early, maybe in January,” the United boss said. “That was the aim and we’re here now.”
Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers said United will be under more pressure than his team as they rely on the financial rewards that come with playing in Europe’s elite competition.
“There is a difference where we want to be in the Champions League, but when you’re a club like Manchester United, there’s a need to be in the Champions League,” Rodgers told reporters.
Lampard-Klopp row
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said he should have reined himself in when arguing with Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp on the touchline but has no regrets over standing up for his team during their defeat at Anfield.
Lampard said he had no issues with Klopp but was unhappy with the reactions from certain members on the Liverpool bench.
“In terms of the language I used, I do regret that. These things get replayed a lot... I’ve got two young daughters on social media,” Lampard told reporters. “I’d have had a beer with Juergen Klopp after the game but there were things on the bench — not from Klopp — that I felt crossed a line. I regret the language but we’ll move on.”