Solskjaer says United need to look ahead

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted Manchester United need to bounce back quickly from the 4-0 defeat at Everton on Sunday.

The boss said that the players need to refocus ahead of the visits of Manchester City and Chelsea to Old Trafford, and also spoke about the need for the squad to stick together and fight for the club in the wake of a damaging result in terms of the fight for a place in the top four of the Premier League.

WE MUST REACT

“We have City at Old Trafford on Wednesday - that's the biggest incentive we can have. Old Trafford, at home, in front of our fantastic fans. The fans were unbelievable today. In the short term, we have to focus on these two games – massive games, if we win these games, we're still in with a chance. There are 12 points to be won. It sounds too easy to look forward but we cannot dwell on this too much. In the long term, we'll look at this but, short term, we've got to look at City and Chelsea.”

EVERTON WERE FITTER THAN US

“Our basic fitness is nowhere near good enough – I can't wait to get a pre-season done. We've done fantastic to get to where we are. Maybe things have caught up with us and we all know that, to win games of football, you need basics and fitness has nothing to do with talent. I’ve said it before, I want my team to be the hardest-working team in the league, that’s what we were under Sir Alex. That’s what we’ve always been. You had Giggsy, Becks, Gary Neville, Denis Irwin, whoever. But no matter the talent you’ve got, you have to run more than anyone. Every single week, you must do that shift up and down that pitch for your team-mates.“

SORRY FOR THE FANS

“From the first whistle everything went wrong. I just want to apologise to the fans. They’re the only people with the badge on today who can hold their head high, because we can’t.”

IN THIS TOGETHER

“We have to stick together as a team. We can't change the whole squad. One step at a time. I've said all along I'm going to be successful here. There are some players who won't be part of that successful team but there are some who will. We were two points ahead of Everton when I came. I wasn't under any illusions we could win the league or challenge for the top three like this. If you look at the table, we're in the same position but the amount of points we've taken, that's credit to the players. Players will know that it has to mean everything to play for this club. Like the fans – they sang for 90 minutes and after the game as well.”

HAVE YOU SEEN ENOUGH HURT IN THE PLAYERS?

“I don’t know. You’ve got to ask them, I’ve asked them. You’re not going to get the answer from me. Of course, if you want to play at this club, it has to mean more. We can't change the whole squad, it’s one step at a time. I've said all along I’m going to be successful here. There are players there who won't be part of that successful team but there are players there, of course, who will be.”

THEY DESERVED IT

“It's not a surprise that you gave the stats that Everton ran more than us. It's not just about running, it's about sticking your head in. Defend the throw-in, the corner, and tackle, put your body on the line. It hurts to win football games. These are just basics. We were far off Everton today. They beat us fair and square and they deserve all the credit.”