Manchester United vs Wolves: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals what was written on note to Juan Mata
Match-winner Mata delivered instructions to winger James
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Your support makes all the difference.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer revealed his note to match-winner Juan Mata contained a plan to get the best out of Daniel James during Manchester United’s FA Cup third round victory.
United overcame Nuno Espirito Santo’s visitors in a replay and progressed to meet either Tranmere or Watford in the next stage, all thanks to Mata’s second-half winner.
Mata was pictured receiving a note from Solskjaer while the game was still goalless, when United were struggling to break through Wolves and create chances.
When asked what the note said by BT Sport, Mata joked that it was a shopping list and that his manager had asked for him to pick up some bread and milk.
But Solskjaer was more forthcoming and revealed that it was an instruction for James to swap flanks, having noticed Wolves winger Adama Traore do the same.
“It was just a spell there that we struggled a little bit, I felt,” Solskjaer said. “The players were just playing more off the cuff than they should have been doing.
“When they swapped Traore we just swapped Dan over for a little while, and it worked. Dan was straight through on goal two seconds after.”
James was denied his first United goal since August by Wolves goalkeeper John Ruddy, who beat the Wales international’s shot away at the end of the first half.
But Mata showed more composure after the break when finishing off a quick United counter-attack that ultimately sent Solskjaer’s side through to the fourth round.
“It’s not often you create that many clear opportunities that we did with Dan; some great runs in behind from him and he needs to learn from Juan,” the United manager said.
“That composure, an absolute beauty of a goal. Great timing with his run as well, we were a little bit scared he was offside, but no. Sometimes the brain is quicker than the feet.”
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