Mind Games: Solskjaer claims Guardiola's methods would not work at Man United

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reacts alongside Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola [Pool via REUTERS/Paul Ellis]

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists Pep Guardiola has not reinvented football – and is backing the philosophy of Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson to make Manchester United great again.

United boss Solskjaer has seen bitter rivals Manchester City storm clear at the top of the Premier League on the back of a 21-game winning run that has put Guardiola in the hunt for a unique quadruple.

United go into the 185th derby trailing the Blues by 14 points – and are set to finish below City for an eighth successive season.

But while Guardiola is being heralded as a genius, Solskjaer refuses to copy his methods.

Solskjaer said: “Every manager builds a team around a club's culture – and we have a culture at Man United that we want to stick to.

“Traditions, built by Sir Matt and Sir Alex, of pace, power and quick attacks

“We all have philosophies and beliefs in ways to win games of football.

“There have been loads of different ways of being successful.

“No-one has invented any style by themselves.

“They have taken little bits from other managers and teams - and I have taken a lot of my football philosophy from the time I was here at Man United and, to be honest, in Norway.

Solskjaer celebrates with Fred at the end of the match [REUTERS/Phil Noble]

“I think all the best teams can counter-attack. All the best teams can break down a deep block.

“It's about players. It's about the quality - and we are getting there and we are getting better in most parts of our game.

“I feel we are improving and getting closer to winning things.”

Solskjaer added: “I have always believed in my way of playing football.

“Sometimes you look at other managers and think you'll adopt one little thing from his way of playing or one little thing from another.

“I was the same as a player. I couldn't be the same as David Beckham, but I always wanted to cross the ball as well as Becks.

“I couldn't be the same player as Ryan Giggs, but I liked to dribble as good as Giggsy and be on the front foot.”

United have just announced that the club's debts have risen to almost £500million after revenues dropped by £118million during the coronavirus pandemic.

And Solskjaer warned fans earlier in the week that there is unlikely to be a huge transfer spend in the summer.

But the United boss refuses to accept that the gap to City cannot be bridged with the right kind of planning.

He said: “I know Pep – and all the managers say it all boils down to players.

“How do you get good players? You might produce them yourself, you might sign them, you might sign them early, or when they are top players.

“It's all about having the quality out there on the pitch.

“We're working as hard as we can every single day – and that is everyone at Man United, from the scouts to the cleaning ladies and the people in the kitchens.

"I know our fans want us to win and that they're really impatient for success.

“But everyone is working really hard to get us to where we feel we belong – and that's the top."