Solskjaer clarifies the Captaincy

Antonio Valencia is expected to lead out the Manchester United team again soon, after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed he is still the captain.

The Ecuadorian has missed the first two fixtures of Solskjaer's temporary tenure, but the caretaker manager revealed the right-back is working hard to make himself available for the challenging New Year schedule.

“I told you he's the captain and, when he's properly fit and playing, he'll wear the armband,” insisted Ole, when asked at Friday's press conference if he could appoint a new skipper.

“He's going through a couple of tough sessions now to get him ready for the busy period coming up.

”When you look at Antonio, there are not many better right-backs going forward with his abilities so, yes, you'll see him wearing his armband.“

Valencia is the longest-serving player in United's current squad, having signed for Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer of 2009, and the two team-mates who are closest to him in that particular pecking order have both been captain in his recent absence.

Ashley Young and David De Gea, who arrived at Old Trafford two years later than Valencia, were Solskjaer's skippers for the victories over Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town respectively. Young also led the team out for what proved to be the last match under Jose Mourinho's management, away to Liverpool on 16 December when Antonio was an unused substitute.