Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer slams clubs who voted to scrap five sub rule over injury fears
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has hit out at those Premier League clubs who voted against the use of five substitutes this season.
The rule was brought in post-lockdown but was not carried forward into this campaign as it failed to get the necessary 14 votes from the 20 clubs.
While Manchester United have a stronger squad than most Solskjaer still believes the vote will have a negative effect on players physically and mentally in what will be a congested season.
Echoing the sentiments of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea chief Frank Lampard, Solskjaer said: “I don’t understand and cannot believe the vote went against.
“We have to look after the players and this season is the most demanding season of all.
“I can see the point why clubs voted against but if you take a step back and think about these pro footballers’ mental and physical health, the only sensible solution would have been to rest a few more.
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“We have seen a few injuries, Pep has spoken about it, we as managers and club med staff have to look after them and rest them.
“I would have liked to have had five subs.”
Solskjaer has had to juggle his squad of late with the demands of both the Premier League and Champions League.
He has done it to good effect of late most notably beating both Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig in Europe.
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Solskjaer added: “At the moment, we are looking like a Manchester United squad.
“I’ve got competition for places, and any successful team in the modern era of football have had the option to rest players and to rotate.
“That is the only way you can last in the most intense league in the world and with Champions League.”
After a rocky start to the season including a 6-1 defeat to Tottenham, Solskjaer has steadied the ship and believes his squad is up and running again.
The boss said: “I think any result as brutal as a 6-1 would have to get a response.
“Of course, it has been dealt with internally, we’ve tweaked a couple of things and got players fit.
“I think the manner of defeat wasn’t something we should ever have to be confronted with again.
“Then again, things happen in football these days and the response has been fantastic.
“We wanted to finish that off as soon as we could and move forward.
“We keep on working, developing, improving…
“It’s not up to me to say how far we’ve come but I’ve been very pleased with the response after what we did early on in the season.
“We knew we had to hang on early on but now we feel strong and competitive in every game.”
The match against Arsenal will be Solskjaer’s 100th game in charge of United.
He said: “I’m surprised it’s 100 games, it’s gone really quickly and a lot has happened, so let’s hope I can celebrate with a good result.
“Arsenal is always going to be difficult, because they are a very good team with a good manager and I’m looking forward to it.”