Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refuses to set top-four finish as season’s target

Solskjaer won his fifth consecutive game since taking charge at United on Saturday

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has refused to set a top-four finish as Manchester United’s target for the remainder of the season, claiming that he is merely looking for improved performances.

Solskjaer won his fifth consecutive game since taking caretaker charge at United on Saturday, securing a 2-0 FA Cup third round victory over Reading.

United now depart for a warm-weather training camp in Dubai before travelling to play Tottenham Hotspur next Sunday, in what will be the first major test of Solskjaer’s reign.

Having taken over from Jose Mourinho when United were 11 points adrift of the top four, Solskjaer has cut that gap down to six in the space of four league games.

However, United’s caretaker manager is not demanding his players achieve a specific target but instead encouraging a particular style of play.

“I’m not going to say top-four is our target because my target is the next game, but my target is also a certain way of playing,” Solskjaer said.

“That certain way of playing will get us to where we belong in the end. I can’t say: ‘If we get top-four it’s a success, if we don’t it’s not a success’.

“It depends on the performances. You can never ever control the result as a footballer.”

The trip to Wembley will be a test of Solskjaer’s credentials, especially as he will come up against the man many expect to be Mourinho’s permanent successor.

Mauricio Pochettino remains the bookmakers’ favourite to be United manager at the start of next season, despite Solskjaer making no secret of his desire to take the job full time.

“[Tottenham] have performed really well over a few years now and they’ve been towards the top of the league,” Solskjaer said.“There will be loads of things we need to look at both as individuals.

“You’ve got [Harry] Kane, one of the best strikers in the world, [Christian] Eriksen one of the best playmakers, you’ve got [Heung-Min] Son, [Dele] Alli – and we have to look at the team unit and how we play against them.”

United face free-scoring Tottenham next Sunday in the biggest test of Solskjaer's reign so far (Reuters) (Action Images via Reuters)

When asked whether next Sunday would be the toughest test of his spell to date, Solskjaer said: “So far but, as I said, we don’t go to Dubai and just prepare for Tottenham.

“We have to prepare for the rest of the season and it’s how we fare against Paris Saint-Germain [who United play in February], how we fare against Liverpool, because they are the top teams of Europe now.”

Solskjaer became only the second United manager to win his first five games in charge, emulating Sir Matt Busby’s impressive start to the 1946-47 campaign.

The Norwegian is not one to sit back and admire his achievements when there is still work to do, however, and made that much abundantly clear.

“I don’t care. Not now,” he said. “I might sit down in 20 years’ time and look at whatever records I have. I never look back. Never ever. When I’m in a position, never look back on what I’m doing that way.

“Yeah, you reflect and you try to improve but you never get complacent and think: ‘I’ve done this or that, I’ve done well’.