MANCHESTER: After a chastening few months following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment on a permanent basis as Manchester United manager, there is cause for optimism again at Old Trafford after romping to a 4-0 win over Chelsea on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Solskjaer insisted ahead of the match that he did not sense the negativity that appeared online from fans in the wake of Thursday’s transfer deadline passing with only three new arrivals in the form of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James, while no replacement was brought in for the departing Romelu Lukaku up front.
And the Norwegian was initially proved right as all three new boys played their part in a resounding victory, while the wantaway Paul Pogba came to life after half-time and Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial showed their capability to cope without Lukaku.
Maguire’s presence pays off United paid a world-record fee for a defender to match Leicester’s demands for Maguire at £80 million ($96.2 million) last week and the hope that the England centre-back can match the transformative impact made by Virgil van Dijk on Liverpool got off to a good start. – AFP
