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Man Utd boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer targets FIVE transfers within FIVE week deadline
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER has told the Manchester United board that he wants all of their summer business concluded by July 1.
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The Norwegian is relishing the chance to wipe the slate clean after his honeymoon period in the Old Trafford hot-seat came to a disappointing end last season.
Having missed out on Champions League football for next year, there is plenty of ground that needs to be made up on the top four, particularly champions Manchester City and arch-rivals Liverpool.
With that in mind, Solskjaer has told the Manchester United board that he wants all of their transfer business wrapped up by July 1.
“We’re going to sit down and go through all the plans,” he said.
“And we’ll be ready when 1 July comes. There will be no excuses.
“You never get a break from football. You always think about it.
“Even back home in Norway, I’m watching games analysing what went wrong, what went well.”
According to The Sun, the Baby-faced Assassin has made a list of five young targets he wants to bring through the door, as he looks to imbed a cluster of hungry talent who can develop into stars under his stewardship.
It’s not secret that the club are in negotiations with Swansea over the signing of winger Daniel James.
The bereavement of his father is currently holding up the deal which is expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff is also on their radar after impressing under Rafael Benitez, before he suffered a knee injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also being targeted with United expected to lodge their first bid to Crystal Palace in the coming days.
The England Under-21 claimed earlier this month that he will stay at Selhurst Park next season, although an official offer may change his stance.
“The situation just shows that my performances don’t go unnoticed,” Wan-Bissaka told the Evening Standard.
“But I am with Crystal Palace at the moment. That is where my contract is and that is where I will be next season.
“I have got three years left on my contract. It says I’m going to be there, so that is all I can focus on now.”
A double raid has been plotted on two of the Championship’s best prospects from last season, defenders Ben Godfrey (Norwich) and Nathan Collins (Stoke).
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Former club hero Rio Ferdinand praised his former team-mate Solskjaer for his belief in young players, when three youngsters were on the field to help United complete a memorable comeback against Paris Saint-Germain.
“People are saying, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to sign for Man Utd as a kid’. Because I’d argue that for the last six, seven years all the best kids have gone over there [to City]. But if I’m a parent around here now there’s nowhere my kid is going anywhere but Man Utd if he’s got a choice and he’s deemed good enough, because there’s a pathway,” he said on BT Sport.
“He [Solskjaer] finished the PSG game with three teenagers on the pitch. We are the best at it [blooding youth]. Fact. But you need someone in the building who looks at the history and says, ‘I’m going to go with the history and on that pathway’.
“Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows the history of this football club and is determined to bring in young players. You only know [if they are good enough] when you throw them in. And it’s not a token gesture [with him].”