Manchester United vs Liverpool: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer considering Sir Alex Ferguson team-talk

Solskjaer said there were no concrete plans in place to have Ferguson speak but he would welcome the Scot's presence at Old Trafford on Sunday

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has handed Sir Alex Ferguson an open invitation to give a team talk before Manchester United's meeting with rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

Solskjaer is hoping to claim a ninth win from his first 10 league games in charge at Old Trafford, having taken over as caretaker following a 3-1 defeat at Anfield in December.

The Norwegian has transformed United’s fortunes in the weeks and months since, largely by reverting to a fast and direct playing style associated with Ferguson’s time at the club.

The Scot took charge of United against Liverpool on 64 occasions during his trophy-laden 26 years at Old Trafford, winning 29 times against the Merseysiders.

And Solskjaer may decide to call on that experience this weekend, having raised the prospect of a Ferguson team talk himself at his Carrington press conference on Friday.

Though the United caretaker said there were no concrete plans in place to have Ferguson speak to his players, he extended an invitation to his former manager nevertheless.

“He would be welcome to have his talk to the players if he wanted to, the gaffer, because we know how much it meant for him to overtake Liverpool,” Solskjaer said.

“I think our players know what [playing against Liverpool] means for everyone at Man United.”

Having spent 11 years at United as a player, Solskjaer knows the significance of meetings with Liverpool.

This weekend’s fixture is arguably one of the more significant in recent years, given that Jurgen Klopp’s side have a realistic hope ending the club’s 29-year wait for a league title.

Victory would allow Liverpool to make the most of their game in hand over leaders Manchester City and move three points ahead at the summit.

But United have ambitions of their own and, given his faultless record against other top English clubs, Solskjaer sees Sunday’s meeting as another step in United’s restoration project.

“For them it's a big game, for us it’s a big game because we want to be in the top four and we're playing Liverpool,” he said. “We know how big that game is for Man United, the staff, supporters.

“We’re just looking forward to another challenge for this team because we want to build this team into one that is worthy of Man United’s history and it’s another step if we can win this at home.

“Because Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea away, it was fantastic to win those three away. Now we need to perform at home as well [against Liverpool].

“I played a few of these myself and know the magnitude of it for the fans and everyone who works here, the staff,” Solskjaer added.

“There have been many comments: ‘This is the big one’. Then it’s our job to be focusing and channelling all that energy into performance mode when we start the game on Sunday.

“It’s not about emotions. I understand emotion can be brought into it but we have to stay focused and controlled with some fight in us as well.”