LONDON • Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted he will not settle for the point that would guarantee his side a return to the Champions League next season when the Red Devils travel to Leicester today.
United sit third in the Premier League table on 63 points going into the final day of the season, but defeat by the Foxes (62) at the King Power Stadium would see them fall to fifth should Chelsea (63) avoid losing at home to Wolves.
"We've given ourselves a good chance of being in the Champions League next year but we can't go into a game thinking about what the outcome can be," said Solskjaer.
"We've just got to go and perform and perform at a high enough level and standard so we can get a result.
"We want to go there and dominate the game. We wanted to get this position to be able to go to Leicester and having to beat them, and we're not going to change our approach. We want to go there and try and win the game."
United have overturned an eight-point deficit to Leicester in the eight games since English football's return from the three-month Covid hiatus, but have looked low on energy in recent games as they crashed out of the FA Cup to Chelsea last weekend and were held 1-1 at home by West Ham on Wednesday.
However, the Norwegian stresses he is still delighted with the progress that has been made, with his side on a 13-match unbeaten run in the league stretching back to January, when they lost 2-0 to Burnley.
The former United striker, 47, oversaw the club's worst start to a top-flight campaign in 30 years and faced questions about his suitability for the team's rebuilding, but United have turned things around in the second half of the season.
They can also secure their highest finish since the 2017-18 season, when Jose Mourinho guided them to second place.
-
TO FINISH IN THE TOP FOUR
3rd: MANCHESTER UNITED (63 points, GD: +28)
WIN or DRAW with Leicester, or LOSE to Leicester if Chelsea lose to Wolves.
4th: CHELSEA (63 points, GD: +13)
WIN or DRAW with Wolves, or LOSE to Wolves if United beat Leicester.
5th: LEICESTER (62 points, GD: +28)
WIN against Man United, or DRAW with United if Chelsea lose to Wolves.
"We've had some hard times this season, some setbacks, but we have shown this is a team going places," Solskjaer added.
"We're going to go into it with a strong frame of mind. It's not job done, we have one more game in this season. That's this season, and this is a journey for this team.
"Mentally I think we've shown more robustness, resilience, when we've lost the first goal in games, for example, but we've also shown the heights when everything's flowing.
"We've got our best players fit and raring to go. I'm delighted with how the development looks."
Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly are doubtful for today, while Leicester are without the suspended Caglar Soyuncu and the injured quintet of Ben Chilwell, Ricardo Pereira, Christian Fuchs, Daniel Amartey and James Maddison.
A return to the Champions League is vital for the health of United's finances, but they will have a second chance even if they lose at Leicester by winning the Europa League when it returns next month. The Red Devils are 5-0 up against Lask and will host the Austrian side in the second leg of their last-16 clash on Aug 5.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers, meanwhile, has called on his players to give it one last shot.
"What they have done has been absolutely brilliant up until this point. Now they have the chance to make a result that will be heard around the world. Let's go and enjoy it," he said.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
LEICESTER V MAN UNITED
Singtel TV Ch102 & StarHub Ch227, 11pm
