Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admits Manchester United’s class of 2019-20 has lost some of the fear factor that he once helped to build, with the Red Devils boss pointing out that “we’re not in the 90s now”.
Leading up to the turn of the century, those at Old Trafford were a force to be reckoned with at home and abroad.
An iconic side under Sir Alex Ferguson peaked in 1999 when securing an historic treble, with Solskjaer netting the winner in a famous Champions League final win over Bayern Munich.
He is now charged with the task of restoring former glories, but is aware of the size of the challenge he faces.
Quizzed as to why United no longer boast the same respect from opponents as they did in his playing days, Solskjaer told reporters: “We're not in the 90s now.
“It's a different era, a different group that we're building. We know there are going to be ups and downs. I'm ready to see these boys blossom.
“I don't know what the opponents think of us. I just know sometimes when you walk off games, we're not doing bad here. Sometimes there's a gap. I've felt that a couple of times but not very often. I can't think about what anyone else is thinking about us. We will need to improve and that is what we have to do.”
Solskjaer retains full faith in the philosophy he has adopted since returning to Manchester, with the Norwegian convinced that the trust being shown in youth will pay long-term dividends.
He added: “There's not many clubs with our stature that play the young players that we do.
“They've got a chance to come through and we're sure some of these will be part of a successful team.”
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The United boss is also convinced that a first away win since March is on the cards, with no favours set to be given to former Red Devils captain Steve Bruce and his Newcastle side on Sunday.
Solskjaer said: “I do feel it’s going to come. There's no point me talking about it. I'll get your questions until we do win.
“If we don't we'll get this on Sunday as well.
“As managers, we don't want to give anyone any favours when we play each other. Brucey's going to set up a team to win. I'm going to set up a team to try to win.
“We're going there, it's a great stadium to play at. We're looking forward to the game. We've hopefully got many players fresh for Sunday.
“I don’t think it is a psychological problem. We are a team that can be set up well to play away from home. Sometimes you can play on the counter.”