Ole Gunnar Solskjær is backing Alexis Sánchez to seize the moment to prove his worth to Manchester United. The Chilean forward, who signed a year ago from Arsenal, scored with a flash of his dynamic best in the FA Cup win at the Emirates on Friday. Solskjær described that as “a big, big step forward” for Sánchez.
Communication has not been easy but they are getting there. “Well, in my broken English and with his broken English,” Solskjær said, smiling. “You try to sit him down and speak to him but he’s a really hard-working, proud man, and he is really determined to prove his worth. He has been fantastic since I came. His workrate in training has been brilliant.”
Solskjær stressed Sánchez is not in for any special treatment to engineer a click into top-level form. “Everyone gets treated the same, because when you come in and you are looking around the dressing room and there are so many good players you have to prove your worth. You don’t just live off the price tag. I am not interested in what they have cost or what they are earning. What I am interested in is what they can give the team. But he does really want to be part of it.”
Solskjær’s belief in the club’s values is at the heart of it all. His substitutions at Arsenal, bringing on two forwards at 2-1 up rather than protecting a narrow lead, epitomised that. “That’s the way I’m brought up. I can never say never – if there’s a time we want to shut up shop sometimes you have to just defend. But if you want to defend you need counterattacking threat at the other end and we do have players who make a difference in that respect.”
The caretaker manager is sure he can turn this transformative form into a memorable campaign. “We’re just looking onwards and upwards and to the next game. Tuesday [against Burnley] is going to be massive for us. At home in the Premier League we’re expected to win.
“After a big win like this, complacency is maybe our biggest danger. But looking at these players, I don’t think that will happen.”