Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted that he was too impressed with the appearance of winger Daniel James in Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Leeds to replace him with Paul Pogba earlier than he did.
While United were the better side in the game, they were completely lifeless for most of 90 minutes. Playmaker-in-chief Bruno Fernandes was marked out of the game by Kalvin Phillips, but Solskjär waited until the 76th minute before making Pogba his first replacement.
Pogba had to wait for his Pool / Getty Images look
It’s a decision that got a lot of fans on social media – with the #OleOut brigade taking it and running with it – but the boss defended his decision and insisted that James bring more than most fans realized.
“I thought the foundation of the play was really good,” Solskjaer explained (via the Manchester Evening News). “Fitness is a really big thing and Paul has the quality.
“We thought” could we have gone a little earlier? “Maybe. But then I thought Dan James did really well, he had maybe two of the three biggest moments in their half, it did not feel like I could take him off too soon.
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– Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 25, 2021
“Marcus [Rashford] felt good with the foot and I thought he was a thorn in their side, and Mason was the cleanest of the lot with the ball. He was excellent today.
“Paul came in and created almost anything. The pressure we built in the second half made me happy, we should have scored to win the match. Unfortunately Bruno finished just outside the post and Dan did not pull the trigger when he could.”
The boss was also forced to defend a quarrel between Harry Maguire and Fred. The midfielder was caught on camera calling Fred a ‘f ***** g idiot’, just weeks after giving Rashford a similarly affectionate nickname.
Maguire was caught insulting another teammate Pool / Getty Images
“We have a group that demands a lot of each other,” Solskjær said about the incident (via the Daily Mail). “The standard is high, both in training and in a game, it’s not just about being a nice guy.
“We require maximum effort. I was really proud of how strong we looked. I never thought they threatened our goal in the second half but we lacked a little spark to win the match.”
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