Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has targeted qualifying for the knockout stages of the Europa League as a pick-me-up after the disappointment of defeat against Bournemouth.
The mood at Old Trafford had been lifted by three successive victories but the 1-0 loss on the south coast was another unsatisfactory Premier League outing.
United have seven points from three games in Europe this season and victory over Partizan Belgrade at Old Trafford on Thursday would secure their progress.
Solskjaer said: “You’re disappointed when you lose a game and of course we were on half a run. But it won’t happen in one instance that you turn everything round.
“It was a quick turnaround, we couldn’t get the goal that we felt we deserved early on. But we go again. We’ve got a great chance now to qualify for the next round, which then means the last two games you can try out a few things.”
United will be without defender Victor Lindelof, who played at Bournemouth having been a doubt for the game but is now sidelined once more.
Solskjaer said: “He won’t be fit. He got a knock against Chelsea and he didn’t come through the game against Bournemouth without a reaction.”
Left-back Luke Shaw, who has been out with a hamstring injury since August, was back on the grass but training away from the squad, while Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot, Angel Gomes, Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Axel Tuanzebe all remain absent.
United have not committed to signing reinforcements in January as it is difficult to recruit the right players during the mid-season transfer window, Solskjaer also said on Wednesday.
Solskjaer, who sanctioned the departures of forwards Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in the close season without acquiring replacements, conceded last month that his squad was light, especially after injuries to several key players.
“On transfers we always look at the long term. It might be one, two or none in January,” Solskjaer told reporters.
“The summer window is the one we always look to. You cannot really do too many good deals in January.”
REUTERS
