Many fans are convinced that the Norwegian is just playing mind games with Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp with this claim.
There is no doubt that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer idolises former manager and Manchester United great Sir Alex Ferguson, a fact that has been very, very obvious from the moment the club legend became Manchester United’s interim boss in December after the sacking of Jose Mourinho. The former striker cannot go even five minutes without pulling off another famous old Fergie saying or recounting something that the legendary Scot did, which helps in informing and educating him in the ways of top-level management.
With that in mind, a large number of United fans are under the impression that the Norwegian has utilised yet another old Fergie classic in the build-up to next weekend’s marquee Premier League clash between the Red Devils and bitter rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford. And it doesn’t matter if the title is out of the picture or if United are struggling under a barrage of negative results, for regardless of such factors, everyone knows that next Sunday’s game is perhaps the biggest one for Liverpool. And despite United’s own battle to finish in the top four, they would like nothing more than to spoil the Reds’ chances of clinching the Premier League crown.
The Merseysiders are looking for a first league title since 1990, a drought that has left the clubs fans parched for league success, and a win at Old Trafford would be a huge step towards ending that streak. Ahead of such a crucial clash, Klopp would doubtless have been delighted to hear that the in-form duo of Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard would miss the game through injury.
However, as exclusively revealed by Mirror Sport’s David McDonnell, it could all be a ruse on the part of Solksjaer. Apparently, Martial and Lingard could both make it back to the starting XI for the game against Pool, and that has got United fans claiming that Solskjaer has pulled out the old Fergie mind games trick on Klopp by exaggerating the severity of the injuries only to go back on that later.
Here’s a look at the reaction of some fans:
Authors Take
Whether or not the fans’ excitement is misplaced or will actually come true, only time will tell. But you cannot discount their theory that Solksjaer would pull out yet another one of Ferguson’s old tricks in order to spook Chelsea and give his team the best chance possible chance of advancing in the FA Cup and keeping alive their hopes of silverware this season. But in all probability, it is just another case of fans overreacting and reading too much into what the situation is and letting their judgement get clouded by what they would like to see.
