Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has fumed at the ‘blatant lies’ about his Manchester United side after their disappointing defeat to Liverpool.
Solskjaer was left fighting for his job after his United team were thrashed 5-0 by Liverpool at the theatre of dreams.
While the Red devils resisted the temptation to sack Solskjaer – with the Norwegian coach set to take charge of Saturday’s league game against Tottenham – the board are said to be growing concerned about the team’s malaise.
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After Liverpool’s defeat, reports claimed some member of United’s squad were beginning to doubt Solskjaer, while figures such as Antonio Conte and Brendan Rodgers were reported to be in contention to replace him.
Another report claimed Paul Pogba snubbed Solskjaer in the dressing room after being shown a red card during the Liverpool defeat, but Solskjaer has blasted the ‘blatant lies’.
‘I don’t read social media but Paul came up to me angry,’ Solskjaer said at his pre-match press conference on Friday. ‘We expect to be criticised and we hold our hands up, the performance wasn’t good enough, but we can’t accept lies.
‘Paul told me what he put up on his social media. We’re better than that as a group – the culture, environment is better, we can’t stand for blatant lies.
‘The players are going to stand up and say so. All the opinions and reports, fine, but don’t make up lies about me or the players.’
Asked whether there was any truth in the various reports that came out after United’s demoralising defeat, Solskjaer added: ‘I think I’ve just answered that.
‘The players come in, proper professionals and good people, and do their best. We have an environment in and around the place, loads of respect for each other. ‘When you come in for criticism like you do, you come into the trenches with your team-mates.
‘That’s the reaction I’ve seen this seen, whatever this club has been through before, it’s always about getting through it with courage, togetherness, self-belief, sticking together and this group has done that.’
United are currently seventh in the Premier League and are preparing to face a Tottenham side who have lost three of their last five matches.
‘We need a reaction,’ Solskjaer said, looking ahead to his side’s clash with Spurs. ‘It’s my job to put the players in the right frame of mind.
‘I’m responsible for the reaction, for the result, for the performance, and we’ve worked on the pitch on everything that needs to be sorted.
‘That’s not just one bit, it’s not just frame of mind, it’s game plan, tactics, technically. We’ve had a good week and I feel the boys are ready to give their best.’
