MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says his lengthy injury list is connected to an increased workload since he replaced Jose Mourinho.
Solskjaer could be without 10 players when United face Crystal Palace on Wednesday with five of his first-choice front six — Nemanja Matic, Ander Herrera, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford — all set to miss out.
Of those five, Matic, Herrera, Lingard and Martial, as well as Juan Mata, have all picked up muscle injuries — something Solskjaer says is a consequence of a more intense playing style than they were used to under Mourinho.
Under Portuguese coach, United’s running stats were among the lowest in the Premier League but under Solskjaer, total sprints have increased from 98.6 to 108.6 per game.
“It’s probably linked,” said Solskjaer.
“When do you make that change? Do you wait until preseason and think you will change results by just not asking them to run?
“Or do we start now and show them what the demands of intensity are and how we want to play?
“You have seen what I have chosen. I have chosen to play as a Man United team and if you want to be a part of Man United, it’s a survival of the fittest isn’t it.”
United will line up against Palace, unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions, sitting fifth in the table, a point behind Arsenal.
Solskjaer’s aim over the last 11 games of the season is to finish in the top four but he insists that even with a threadbare squad he will not prioritise the league over the FA Cup, or trying to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
“Every single game is going to be very important,” said the 46-year-old.
“As I’ve said many times before, every day here is a chance to improve standards and we need to get back to the standards that are set for a Manchester United player.
“We can’t say we are happy with the top four. A top-four finish would be fantastic but to get to the final of the FA Cup and win a trophy would be fantastic. You can’t pick and choose.
“We just have to make sure that now against Palace, we’re ready. Then it’s Southampton, PSG, then it’s Arsenal and Wolves. You can’t pick and choose your games.”