Important to be ready for when football returns to normalcy: Solskjaer

Manchester, April 8 (IANS) The sporting world has come to a standstill, but Manchester United Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made it clear that things will return to normalcy and he wants his boys to be ready for that.

"Football is going to get back to normality at one point, and it's very important we're ready when that happens. We want to be the best at everything, and of course now is a chance to spend more time, you discuss players, discuss plans, we've evaluated what we need, of course with the coaching staff we've looked at games, evaluated games, discussing on video calls like this," he told Sky Sports in an exclusive interview.

But for now, the manager is also happy that he along with his boys have got time with the families.

"Of course there will be text messages and WhatsApp messages more often. But the biggest difference for most of us is that when you're a footballer you don't really get to spend much time with your family.

"That's been a big plus, if you're allowed to say that anything has been a big plus in this situation. But yes, we are planning, we are discussing what we have to do, what we can do, and I have to say the club has been very good so far," he pointed.

Another positive is that injured players can return fresh when the season finally gets underway. Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford can return fully fit and the manager is looking at that as a positive as well.

"Paul and Marcus have been out, now we've still got games left, and I think everyone in the league will start more or less on the same level. Maybe they've got more motivation to keep going now, as they can see when they're back they may be on the same level or even a better level physically.

"In a way, they have got an opportunity here to play a bigger part in this season than they had hoped. And they are big players for us, some of the most important players.

"I've always been impressed with the players when we've had breaks. When we came back from pre-season they were really focused. We've had the mid-season break now, we did a few things tactically in Marbella in that week and they came back focused.

"We can kick on, I'm sure we can get a good start and climb up that table if we keep doing the right thing. Even with the FA Cup and Europa League, if that does go ahead, we've got good chances there," he said.