Premier League top-four race ‘not my problem’ says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as he plans ‘lot of rotation’

Solskjaer says he has no choice but to risk undermining the integrity of the top-four race next week by making wholesale changes to his side with three games in five days

A furious Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he may have no choice but to risk undermining the integrity of the Premier League’s top-four race next week by making wholesale changes to his Manchester United starting line-up in quickfire games against Aston Villa, Leicester City and Liverpool.

United find themselves in the middle of a spell which sees them play four games in the space of eight days after fan protests against the Glazer family's ownership of the Old Trafford club caused last weekend's visit from Champions League-chasing Liverpool to be postponed.

Having come through their Europa League semi-final second leg in Rome on Thursday night, Solskjaer's side will now travel to Villa on Sunday, then host third-place Leicester on Tuesday with the Liverpool game rearranged for next Thursday.

Solskjaer has described United's schedule as "impossible" and said that he and his players had been "dealt a very bad hand by people who sit behind a desk in their suits who've never played football and understand what this is about."

The United manager added: "I’ve got to think about my players but I know there will be teams fighting for the Champions League places that will not think that's Man United's best team in that team, that's not the best players.

"I can promise you that its impossible to play 90 minutes at this intensity, at that level in the Premier League four times from Thursday to Thursday. That means I cannot play everyone every minute which means we've got to prioritise.

"I cannot risk them, so it has to be rotation and it has to be a lot of rotation, a lot of decisions made on the day of the game. We cannot prepare for the game, which every team does - get a week or two or 10 days or five days. This is someone else dealing hands."

When asked whether he could change all 11 players in his starting line-up between games during United's next run of fixtures, Solskjaer said: "Yes. As I said, two games in three days is difficult but you can accept that we do that at Christmas.

"Two games in three days after a long season, with all the games we’ve had, even more difficult. Three games in five days, very very difficult, almost impossible. Four games in eight, it is impossible.

"But I think you all know me, I hope you do anyway. We’ll take the challenge head on. I’m not sitting here sulking but I’m saying someone there does not understand the physicality of the Premier League. It's the best league in world.

"I don't know how you can defend playing these three games in such a short space of time. I've got to look after the players. That might be someone not happy with my team selection for one game or two games. That might affect whoever gets into the fourth position or the Champions League. That’s not my problem. That’s everyone else’s problem."

Solskjaer said he had not been told why United have been forced to play the three games in such a condensed period and added that he had "never seen that schedule before, not in the modern day football". "I know that Man United in 1991-92 had a very, very similar run-in and you can see how the results deteriorate."

United are not the first Premier League side to suffer a similar fixture crunch this year, though. Tottenham played four games in eight days in September while competing in the qualifying rounds of the Europa League.

Solskjaer expects his players to rise to the challenge of their gruelling schedule but admitted that even ever-presents like captain Harry Maguire will be unable to play all three games between now and Thursday.

"I feel for the players. I feel for the team, I feel for them, having had this fantastic season and got to a final and I’m sat here answering these questions and not about the run-in," he said.

"They’ve worked their socks off, they've been absolutely brilliant and I’m just very, very happy for them that we’ve got to this place.

"We just have to do our best. It's another challenge for us. And please, you can see I’m not happy with it but I'm not sulking. It's one of those things that I know my players will take head on and we as a group will be stronger for it when we come out of it.

"I just keep my fingers crossed that nobody gets injured. That's going to be my biggest concern, injuries.

"Harry Maguire has played every minute for us in the Premier League since he came. I don't think that’s possible now. That’s another record or another stat he could have been very proud of but I can’t really see that happening now."