Pranav Nair
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opens up on his plans for Jesse Lingard and Dean Henderson
According to the club’s official site, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has opened up on the plans for Jesse Lingard and Dean Henderson this season.
Both players came through the club’s academy and face pivotal seasons at Old Trafford this campaign. The duo missed our season opener against Leeds after testing positive for COVID-19.
Lingard is coming off the back of an excellent loan spell at West Ham United that saw him impress one and all. He looks set to play a major role for United this campaign. He appears to be very much in Solskjaer’s plans for the season.
“Don’t forget Jesse Lingard who has re-invented himself and has come back the man that we know he is with the quality. He is going to play a big part as well.”
Solskjaer is blessed with a number of attackers at his disposal. The likes of Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Dan James and Edinson Cavani are all available for the Norwegian to choose from.
Adding Lingard to that set of players almost seems unfair. While he is far from an automatic starter, Marcus Rashford’s injury layoff could give him opportunities to gain regular playtime.
Solskjaer is keen to rotate his squad well this season and make use of the resources at his proposal. Despite showing much potential in recent seasons, United have looked bust towards the business end of the campaign. With a bigger and better squad at his disposal, Solskjaer will hopefully do a better job this time.
“Of course there could be more rotation.”
Henderson could return to training today and may be in contention to face Southampton at the weekend. While a decision is yet to be taken, Solskjaer remains hopeful regarding his availability.
“We will see how he feels and, hopefully, he can join in training on Monday.”
The Englishman rotated with David de Gea in goal last season. Just how he will be used this time around remains to be seen.
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Solskjaer’s comments on Lingard are particularly telling. The 28-year-old was linked with a return to West Ham United, this time on a permanent deal. However, if the United manager’s words are to be taken at face value, the player looks set to stay put this season.
