Manchester United caretaker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants fitter players for late season surge

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes his Manchester United players must become fitter and is hoping their forthcoming training camp in Dubai will inspire a surge up the Premier League table in the second half of the campaign.

United will fly out to the Gulf for a four-day training camp following their FA Cup third round tie against Reading on Saturday, with a trip to Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur waiting next weekend.

Pochettino is the favourite to become United’s next permanent manager following Jose Mourinho’s dismissal last month, but next Sunday’s meeting at Wembley will be caretaker Solskjaer’s first big-game opportunity to stake his own credentials.

The Norwegian has made an impressive start to his second life at Old Trafford, winning all his opening four games, but he believes raising his squad’s fitness levels will help United contend with tougher tests to come.

“We can get fitter and we have to do that through the training sessions here, but Dubai is a good chance because now is the first time we get a week of work together,” Solskjaer said on Friday. “The ones who have not been in the squad have worked on their fitness.”

Solskjaer offers regular reminders in his press conferences that his main coaching inspiration is Sir Alex Ferguson, who he spent 11 years under at United as a player, and extra fitness work in the new year is another trick out of the Scot’s playbook.

“I still have pictures in my mind every January, the gaffer [Ferguson] with the stopwatch and he times us – all of those runs,” Solskjaer recalled. “That stood us in good stead towards the end of the season, so it is a time to work hard. Even though we’ve got plenty of games, we need to work.”

Solskjaer admitted after Wednesday’s 2-0 victory at Newcastle United that he does not want to leave United at the end of his six-month spell in charge and believes a winning playing style – and silverware to boot – would help to extend his stay.

“[To] get to summer and people are talking about the way Man United are playing,” he said, when asked what he believed would constitute ‘success’ and be enough to earn the permanent role.

“The style we’re playing, it reminds us of Sir Alex’s team. It reminds us of the successful times. It has to start with the way we play because results you cannot control. You can control how you approach the game and how you play.

“And of course, trophies. If you can get to the final of the FA Cup and get a trophy. Everyone knows how tough it is to lose a game. That was my last game, we lost an FA Cup final [against Chelsea in 2007]. That was tough last year. Let’s see in May if it’s a success or not.”

United’s FA Cup campaign begins against Championship strugglers Reading on Saturday with Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku set to earn their first starts of the Solskjaer era.

Paul Pogba is not expected to be available after picking up a minor injury from Jonjo Shelvey’s challenge during the victory over Newcastle.

Eric Bailly serves the second installment of a three-match suspension while Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling remain injured.

“There’ll be a few changes,” said Solskjaer. “They’ll get a chance, some of them that are itching to play. Get Lukaku a start, get Sanchez a start. That’s important for them because they need more game time.”