Owen tells Solskjaer how to get all his best players in their best positions

Former Manchester United striker has come up with a plan for current Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to ‘get all the best players on the pitch at the same time, in their best positions.’

Solskjaer has an embarrassment of riches available to him at Old Trafford, only increased by the summer arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane.

Ronaldo and Sancho add two selection headaches to the front three, but Solskjaer still has the same issue as last season in midfield – how will he fit both Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes into his side?

Owen reckons he has worked out how to do just that and it comes down to putting the shackles on the Manchester United full-backs.

The former England striker reckons that both Pogba and Fernandes can play in advanced midfield roles, behind a front three, as long as the full-backs focus on defending rather than getting forward.

‘To get everybody in the right positions and get the best players on the pitch, maybe you could play one sitter and Fernandes and Pogba in front,’ Owen said on BT Sport.

‘Now Pogba’s playing in an advanced midfield area, where he’s always been brilliant, for Juventus he was brilliant, we all know that’s his best position.

‘The only problem then is full-backs, if you’ve got two full-backs who are bombing all the time and he [Pogba] has not got the discipline, then you’re in trouble.

‘Manchester United haven’t really got great attacking full-backs. Wan-Bissaka’s a brilliant defender, he’s not great going forward. Luke Shaw you could argue is a bit better going forward but is a really good defender.

‘Maybe the answer is to say to your full-backs, “less of going forward” then we’re going to get five world class players playing and leave our full-backs a bit deeper.

‘That might be the solution to get all the best players on the pitch at the same time, in their best positions.’

Pogba and Fernandes have both started on a regular basis so far this season, but with the Frenchman sometimes pushed out onto the left of the front three.

Solskjaer does not regularly feel confident enough to field the pair in midfield, preferring to play one of them with two more defensive-minded midfielders behind, such as Fred and Scott McTominay.

Owen feels that simply leaving the full-backs out of the attacking plan will allow Solskjaer to ditch one holding midfielder.

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