Aniket Rai
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer provides update on three Manchester United players set to miss Leeds encounter
Speaking to the official club media before the game against Leeds United, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suggested that Jesse Lingard, Dean Henderson, and Phil Jones will be out for the Premier League opener at Old Trafford.
Lingard, who was on loan at West Ham United last season, tested positive for Covid-19 on the eve of United’s pre-season friendly against Everton. Henderson, on the other hand, is still recovering from the after-effects of the virus.
Solskjaer knows the duo will sit out against Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites this weekend, but is choosing to remain positive regarding their return to first-team action.
“Jesse should be [doing a] test to release very soon, hopefully he’s got rid of the virus. Dean is still feeling a little bit the after-effects so we’ve had to shut him down a little bit and he’ll get going very soon.”
Ole without trio for Leeds opener
Phil Jones has missed a lot of football due to fitness issues. But the former Blackburn Rovers defender, now perhaps further down the pecking order at United after Raphael Varane’s imminent arrival, is impressing his manager in training.
The Norwegian believes Jones, 29, is ‘determined’ and working hard in training sessions, and indicated that he needs more match fitness before being put on the pitch for the senior side.
“I’m impressed by his resilience in training. We have to manage the workload early on… Now is not the time to rush things, now is the time to really do the last bit perfectly. As I said, Reserve games, Under-23s, maybe behind closed doors. He’s already had in-house games against the 23s so it’s looking good.”
More Manchester United News:
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer talks about the future of Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba at Manchester United
- West Ham United given fresh hope in their pursuit of Manchester United star Jesse Lingard
- Jadon Sancho reveals the spark he has found with Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United
United would hope to start this season in a better fashion than they did last time out, losing 1-3 to Crystal Palace on opening day. However, they did not lose to Leeds during the league campaign, beating them 6-2 at Old Trafford and drawing 0-0 at Elland Road.
