What Ole is looking for in the transfer market

The transfer window opens today (Thursday) and Manchester United will, no doubt, continue to be linked with a whole host of names from across the globe.

The burning question for many Reds supporters is what sort of player will manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer be identifying?

The boss and his coaching staff will have targets in mind, assisted by our scouting team, and is obviously going to be keeping his cards close to his chest, while never speaking about people contracted to other clubs.

During the third, and final, part of his exclusive chat with MUTV's Helen Evans, the Norwegian was asked if he could elaborate on what he is looking for, after he told the press recently that he might not necessarily be seeking “ready-made stars”.

“We’ve touched upon it [before],” he explained. “We’ve tried to educate our players and our kids to be proper people. In my years, the best players have always been the best people.

”You have to have that value system – do you say that? A certain kind of attitude about you to make a Manchester United player.

“You have got to have qualities and our fans want to see exciting players. We want to get up from our seats. You see defenders who defend, like that’s their life, that’s the most important thing.

”When we go to press with Jesse [Lingard] and Marcus [Rashford], in the games against Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool and Chelsea, when we start these games, our fans clap a striker making a tackle.

“That’s the way it’s been and in our culture. You have to have that work ethic and we’re scouting the market trying to find the right ones.”

Whatever the summer has in store, and it might be worth taking most of the speculation with a pinch of salt, any transfers from abroad can be completed from 11 June onwards. The window closes on 17:00 BST on Thursday 8 August, although loan moves to League One and League Two will still be permitted until 2 September.