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Fabrizio Tabone

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals selection dilemma ahead of Newcastle game


Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reveals selection dilemma ahead of Newcastle game
Image Credits: Reuters

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hinted at numerous selection headaches ahead of the Premier League game against Newcastle United on Sunday.


During the pre-match press conference for the Premier League game, recorded right after the 4-0 win against Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, Solskjaer confirmed that the positions of several players in the first-team are under threat due to the impressive performances of numerous players against Sociedad.


"Of course, Paul [Pogba] is out and Phil [Jones] is out. I don’t know how Scott [McTominay] is. I don’t know how Donny [Van de Beek] and Edinson [Cavani] will be either."


"They’ve got a chance, I think, so we’ve just got to give them until before training on Saturday as we need to pick a team on Saturday. We’ll see how they are and hopefully they can both be available."


Whilst speaking to MUTV's Stewart Gardner, he added that "We think, or hope, both of them [Donny and Edinson will be fit] but we’re not sure. Maybe one, maybe two, maybe none. It’s one of those tight ones where you’ve got to make a call, probably after training on Saturday."


Interestingly, the biggest headache of all is in between the sticks, with Henderson producing a good performance against Real Sociedad, earning him a clean sheet.


"Of course Dean is in with a shout."


"We pick a team on Saturday and Dean was very solid, good kicking and he could or should have had an assist for Marcus, which is another thing we worked on. He was clean in his handling, clean in his short passes and it was a good performance."


He added that "He is maturing all the time but I have a very, very good goalkeeper in David [De Gea]. He saved us against West Brom so I can't say to you now. I always speak to the players first before I say who's playing and they will know."


De Gea's position in the first-team has been under threat in recent weeks after some mistakes in decision-making and being weak when coming out for crosses.


As a result, there have been plenty of calls for Henderson to take his place in the side, and try to prove his worth as the first-team goalkeeper.


It remains to be seen whether Solskjaer will keep Henderson as solely the cup goalkeeper or if he will try and rotate him with De Gea more regularly.

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