Ole Gunnar Solskjær believes Manchester United are in a position to compete for major honours again thanks to their summer recruitment, with Cristiano Ronaldo potentially the final piece in the masterplan.
The manager confirmed Ronaldo would make his second debut at home to Newcastle on Saturday and thinks the squad will be pushed forward by the Portuguese’s arrival.
“We are still a work in progress,” Solskjær said. “Cristiano coming, of course, that gives us another edge. He comes with his winning mentality – him and Raphaël [Varane] have won the Champions League a few times, European Championships, World Cups. We are adding some experience and quality that we didn’t have.”
Solskjær expects Ronaldo to set the standards others must follow. “When you have players like this there is no hiding place, as if you don’t do the right thing, you will be told,” he said. “When I walked into the dressing room here, if Roy Keane saw me dip out of a tackle or not make the run, you were told. I ended up being one of them who told players I played with and that’s who it should be in Man United; you should have some experienced leaders in there who should put the demands down.”
December will mark Solskjær’s three-year anniversary as manager but he is yet to secure a trophy since replacing José Mourinho. The Norwegian has been given time to evolve the squad and been backed to sign Ronaldo, Varane and Jadon Sancho this summer, placing him under greater scrutiny.
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“We knew we had to rebuild,” he said. “We had to get players experience, get players minutes playing for Manchester United. I felt we were at a low point; now you look around the squad, you look at the bench, the young players coming through, this is a team – I said it before we signed Cristiano – I don’t think anything is beyond these players.
“The pressure is a privilege. When you are Man United, you want that pressure. As a player or manager, if you want an easy life, you go mid-table somewhere. We want that pressure, you feel it and it makes you feel alive.”