Solskjaer answers claims Man Utd have been lucky under him

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has laughed off claims Manchester United have enjoyed plenty of good fortune during his tenure and insists his players deserve every win they have earned this season.

United’s hopes of Champions League glory remain alive after overcoming Paris Saint-Germain against the odds, and now face arguably the toughest test of all against Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

But Solskjaer, responding to suggestions United are lucky to be in the last eight, insists United have proved that “on any given day we can beat a top team.”

“The confidence in the players, it’s sky high,” he said. “And the mood is good, the training attitude is good, so hopefully we can keep that run going.

“There have been a couple of comments about ‘you used to have number 20′ (and it is 20 years since the treble’ and blah, blah, blah.

“I believe that you get what you deserve in life, in sports.

“If you put the work in, I believe, if you work hard, show the right attitude, if you go in every single day and do the right things you can maximise your chances.”

United first, however, face an FA Cup quarter-final at Wolves on Saturday evening – a match Romelu Lukaku could join the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Ashley Young and Juan Mata in missing.

United are looking to bounce back from their first domestic defeat under Solskjaer last weekend at Arsenal – a side they overcame in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

There have also been wins at Chelsea, Tottenham and PSG in recent months, so the suggestion that Solskjaer has got lucky has naturally worn thin.

 

“I think I’ve answered that question quite well here,” he said with a smile. “I think you earn your luck, but sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, eh?

“Any game you lose is a big anti-climax. It’s the worst feeling you can have.

“And that’s maybe the only good thing about that Arsenal defeat, to feel how much it hurt.

“Because PSG we still had a chance to correct it and before then the last game I lost was against Ranheim on 26th August, so it was a long time ago.”

Solskjaer, meanwhile, has opened up on suggestions they could sign Gareth Bale from Real Madrid this summer.

 

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