Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appears to have taken aim at the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez by claiming that he would ‘rather have a hole in the squad than an a**ehole’.
The Norwegian was intent on transforming the atmosphere at United the moment he took over the reins from Jose Mourinho back in December 2018, and high up on his agenda was offloading players with questionable attitudes.
Lukaku completed a permanent switch to Inter Milan in early August 2019 and he was joined by Sanchez later that month after United agreed a loan deal with the Serie A giants for the Chilean.
Widespread reports indicate tat Paul Pogba could the next high-profile name out the exit door at Old Trafford, with Juventus and Real Madrid circling for his signature ahead of the summer transfer window.
And it appears Solskjaer is only interested in keeping hold of players dedicated to the ‘team environment’ he has created and the long-term project he has in mind for the club.
‘I’d rather have a hole in the squad than an a**ehole. Personality is so important. We’re a team in a team environment,’ Solskjaer said in an interview with fanzine United We Stand.
‘You want players to have a bit of ego and edge but they have to be able to adapt.’
Solskjaer believes some players were affected by ‘personal agendas’ last year but insists there are no longer any ‘bad apples’ in his first-team squad.
‘In March 2019, players were physically tired, mentally tired and we had injuries. The players started with negative thinking, whereas now it’s positive thinking,’ he added.
‘There were other things I didn’t like last year, some personal agendas which couldn’t be sorted out until the summer.
‘There will always be players who want to play more in football, but if a team is to be successful then players have to be available at different times.
‘I feel in this group we don’t have one bad apple.’
Solskjaer says he learned which players had the ‘right mentality’ during the side’s dismal period in the wake of their memorable victory over Paris Saint-Germain.
‘When you win, everything is easy. It’s when you hit difficult times that you can see who you want and who has the right mentality,’ Solskjaer said.
‘We didn’t see that until after Paris, when we went into a bad run.
‘That’s when I saw who I could build a long-term, successful squad around. You need some egos in football, but it has to be team first.
‘I could see more and more at the end of the season what needed improving.’
Solskjaer hopes he has proven to United’s owners that they made the right choice to appoint him as Mourinho’s successor at the midway stage last season.
‘I’m a Red through and through. United matters to me,’ he continued.
‘I’m honest, I’m loyal. I’m a club man.
‘I plan for the long term and I want the best for the club long term.
‘I’d like to think they thought I had the personality to manage Manchester United.’
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