Ole expects Man Utd to spend in next window

Ed Woodward says he will manage Manchester United‘s money “carefully” during the ongoing coronavirus crisis but manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still believes he will have funds to spend in the next transfer window.

United return to Old Trafford for the first time since March when Sheffield United visit on Wednesday and ahead of the fixture, Woodward sent a message to supporters to warn of a “difficult” few months.

What did you miss? The latest from Europe’s top leagues

“On the pitch, there is no escaping the reality that the coming months are going to be difficult for everyone in football and we are no exception,” said Woodward.

“However, our club’s foundations are solid and, provided we stick together and manage our resources carefully, we will come through this period with our strength intact — thanks in large part to the loyalty of our fantastic supporters.”

United look to have missed out on 16-year-old Birmingham midfielder Jude Bellingham, who is close to joining Borussia Dortmund, but still hold a strong interest in Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish.

Solskjaer has splashed the cash to bring in Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Daniel James and Bruno Fernandes and, despite Woodward’s caution, the Norwegian is hopeful of adding more new faces ahead of next season.

“Manchester City and Liverpool, the last couple of seasons, have put the standard where it should be to win the league,” said Solskjaer.

“We’ve developed over the season and now we had a spell of 12 unbeaten and now you add Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford to that and you’re thinking, ‘Yeah, we’re not too far away’ and I’m very happy with the squad. If there are any good deals to be made and players to make us better of course we might have to spend some money on that but the squad is great to work with and it’s moving in the right direction.

“We’re still not where we want to be, close enough to challenge for the Premier League trophy but we take one step at a time.”

United will face Sheffield United behind closed doors on Wednesday but the club have tried to bring some fans inside the stadium with a mosaic made up of 40,000 pictures submitted by fans from more than 190 countries.

“Emotions are mixed as we welcome Sheffield United to Old Trafford,” said Woodward.

“While everyone at Manchester United is excited to be getting back to playing football, we regret that our fans cannot be in the stadium, and recognise these are difficult times for many people around the world.”