Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer challenges Romelu Lukaku to break into line-up

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has challenged Romelu Lukaku to break into his first-choice Manchester United line-up but assured the Belgian that he will be given opportunities to impress.

Lukaku has started just once since Solskjaer’s appointment as caretaker manager - in the FA Cup third round victory over Reading - with three appearances as a substitute in the Premier League.

Solskjaer appears to prefer Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard as a front three, starting the trio together in each of his league games in charge so far, with Rashford scoring four in his last six.

Lukaku scored after coming off the bench against both Bournemouth and Newcastle, as well as notching on his start against Reading, but may have to settle for a place among the substitutes again for the visit of Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend.

With Alexis Sanchez also returning to full fitness, Solskjaer faces a selection dilemma up front for Saturday’s afternoon kick-off, but on Friday he promised Lukaku that he would be given chances to start.

“He’s a big part of the squad, definitely, with his personality around the place,” Solskjaer said of the Belgian. “There’s no one scoring as many goals as him in training.

“There are the three who play the most but then you’ve got Rom, you’ve got Juan [Mata], you’ve got Alexis, so I’ve got a front six I can rotate with and Rom is definitely going to be playing games.”

Solskjaer can empathise with those waiting for regular starts, having spent much of his playing career at United as a substitute.

“I used to be one of four strikers when we played with two,” he said. “Now we have six forwards and we play with three most of the time. We’ll be OK to be able to rotate and there’s enough games and playing time.

“It’s about taking the chances when you get them, and to be fair, Rom has scored three already and Marcus has scored three. Paul’s scored four since I came here. It’s up to the strikers to take them.”

Jose Mourinho, Solskjaer’s predecessor, spoke about his dismissal from United for the first time on Thursday and claimed that the club does not have the structure in place to cope with the demands of today’s game.

Mourinho suggested that United require a director of football in order to relieve the manager of some unnecessary responsibilities. The club is actively seeking to recruit in such a role, though the process remains ongoing.

The Portuguese also appeared to complain that players have too much power in the modern football, in remarks that were interpreted as a criticism of his former employers and midfielder Paul Pogba.

When asked whether he agreed with Mourinho’s criticisms of United’s structure, Solskjaer compared the club to Molde, the Norwegian outfit that he will return to once his six-month caretaker spell has ended.

“I think the size of this club is so different to Molde, where I’m at. The way that the club is structured and different clubs are structured has to be up to each club,” he said.

“I can only comment on what I’ve seen here, and I’ve really enjoyed it, but it’s not down to me to put that structure in. If there’s a director of football coming in, I’m sure the club will have good arguments for that.”

Solskjaer also agreed that the modern player presents a different challenge for managers and coaches today, though he stopped short of echoing Mourinho’s complaints that players are now too powerful.

“I wouldn’t say more powerful, but it’s different with social media and the society they grow up in compared with what I did,” he said.

“I sound really old now, but it is such a different era. Now everything is on Facebook or Twitter or whatever it is straight away. It’s not malicious, it’s just the reality we live in.

“They still have to have the values of a team, and know what you have to improve. No one deserves to be in a better team than what they give, if you know what I mean.

“If they want to help the team they deserve to be here. If they don’t want to help the team, then they don’t deserve to be here. Those values, beliefs and principles don’t change.”