Man Utd ´absolutely committed´ to Solskjaer – Woodward

Manchester United remain “absolutely committed” to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the club’s manager, says executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.

Solskjaer’s future was once again called into question following recent back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Istanbul Basaksehir.

However, last weekend’s 3-1 win over Everton – a result that lifted United up to 14th place in the Premier League – has eased some of the pressure on the Norwegian.

And while acknowledging there is room for improvement, Woodward has publicly backed Solskjaer to get United firmly back on track.

“On the pitch, while there is still hard work ahead to achieve greater consistency, we remain absolutely committed to the positive path we are on under Ole as the team continues to develop,” he said.

Woodward’s comments were made in a statement released alongside the club’s financial results for the first quarter, which were published a day early in error.

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— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 12, 2020

United’s revenues are down 20 per cent for the three months ending September 30 – from £135.4million to £109m when compared to the same period last year.

A large part of that was down to matchday revenue slumping to £1.7m, but Woodward is hopeful supporters will soon be allowed to return to Old Trafford.

“We miss playing in front of our fans and we are working hard together with our governing bodies and relevant authorities to ensure that fans can safely return as soon as possible,” he said.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause significant disruption, we are optimistic that the recovery and normalisation phase is gradually coming into view.

“The club’s resilience and our strong commercial business continue to provide a solid foundation and gives us confidence in our long-term outlook beyond the pandemic, both on and off the pitch.”