Solskjaer encouraged by squad's desire

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer endorsed his players’ attitude and work ethic following Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to West Ham United.

The Reds suffered a first away loss of the season, with goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Aaron Cresswell at the London Stadium causing us to come away from the capital with nothing.

While it was undoubtedly a frustrating afternoon, Ole rejected any notion that the players’ mindset was to blame for the defeat.

“This group, they want to do what we're trying to do, what we're working on in training,” insisted the boss during his post-match press conference.

“There are key moments in games that can tip it in your favour compared to theirs, like one bad pass, but the attitude and the desire is there. That’s not the problem, it’s the quality of our decision making and sometimes it's the execution.”

The result leaves United eighth in the Premier League table after six games, with the same number of points as top-six rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, who also lost at the weekend.

In fact, the Reds remain just three points off a Champions League spot at this early part of the campaign, and Ole was quick to highlight that there is plenty of football still to be played between now and May.

“Sometimes along the road you’ll hit some bumps, as we’ve said. Some highs and lows,” the manager explained.

“This is a good group [of players] to work with. They’re determined. They showed they wanted to get out [and play]. “It was a good atmosphere in the dressing room and they’ve got the focus right.”