Ole: There are not going to be any excuses

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told MUTV he is absolutely determined to hit the ground running in 2019/20 after a disappointing end to his first five months in charge.

Speaking about the announcement of a summer friendly against Kristiansund in Oslo, Solskjaer explained that he cannot wait for the pre-season period to start on 1 July as he looks to stamp his influence on the team.

The Norwegian says the fact that last term did not end quite as planned means he has even more fuel and ambition to put things right at Old Trafford.

“I've only been here five months but you get more energy off working and sometimes, sadly but it's true, you get more energy when it goes against you,” he told MUTV.

“You get more energy because you’re determined to come back a better team and a better coach, to help the players improve and be even better. Yeah it’s nice, winning, don’t get me wrong. But when you get a season like we’ve had, I think everyone wants to show what we can do, because they’re proud players and we're proud coaches.

“You can’t forget [about last season]. You have to learn from your mistakes as well. We want to learn more from what we did right.”

Solskjaer said the pre-season schedule is “shaping up”, while adding: “Of course, we’re going to sit down and go through all the plans with the physical coaches and with the coaches and we’ll be ready when 1 July comes. There are not going to be any excuses.

“You know, you never get a break from football. You [always] think about it. Even if I’m back home now in Norway, I’m watching games and analysing games from towards the end of the season. What went wrong and what went well.

“That’s just me. It gives me energy, working with football and thinking how to improve players and the team and how we should get ready. It’s just a lifestyle and what we do. I do get a break from the other stuff, though. Being here [at home], my shoulders just drop down [and relax].

“I don’t want to switch off completely. I can switch off the phone once in a while, but you don’t switch off the brain. Maybe there will be a day or two without thinking about it but, of course, we’ve got a big job preparing for next season with player logistics and training logistics.”

United will face Kristiansund at the Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo on Tuesday 30 July, live on MUTV.