Ole Gunnar Solskjaer focused on Champions League qualification ahead of topping table

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shrugged off the prospect of topping the Premier League table for the first time in his reign as he insisted his priority is to re-establish Manchester United as regulars in the Champions League.

Victory at Burnley on Tuesday would take United to the division’s summit and would seem proof of progress under Solskjaer, who inherited a side 19 points behind Liverpool in 2018.

United have not mounted a proper title challenge since the Norwegian’s mentor Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and have failed to finish in the top four in four of the past seven seasons.

They have not been top since August 2018 and even then it was a technicality as they beat Leicester City in the opening game of the Premier League season.

But if going three points clear of Liverpool after 17 matches would seem to cap a change in their fortunes, Solskjaer said: “Nobody remembers who's top on January 12th but we're progressing. The league table doesn't really matter now. When you get to March and April, that's when the league is going to be decided.

“We're better off this season than we were at this stage last season. We've played better football, won more games. We're improving. Since Sir Alex left, we've been second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh so it's up to us to establish ourselves among the top four. We've only been there three times since Sir Alex left.”

Solskjaer won the Premier League six times in 12 years as a United forward but believes the division has changed since then with the rise of more challengers. He expects the most competitive title race for years.

He explained: "It's a different ball game to when I was a player. We were disappointed if we didn't win the league. But now so many teams consider themselves candidates. There will be ups and downs and less consistency in performances and as a fan it's more interesting, compared to last season when just one team ran away [with it]."

United will give Paul Pogba and Eric Bailly fitness tests before Solskjaer picks his team for Turf Moor. Defenders Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof are likely to return after missing Saturday's FA Cup win over Watford. United will also be able to welcome back Edinson Cavani, who served a three-match ban for an Instagram post.

“Edinson has trained well when he's been banned,” Solskjaer said. “He's had a couple days off. He is ready to go. He gives us a different option. I'm glad to have him back, that's why we brought him in. He's contributed so far. He'll be really important for us until the end of the season."

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The Uruguayan’s predatory streak could be useful against a Burnley side who have only conceded twice in five league games. “It's hard to score against them, they don't concede many chances,” said Solskjaer.

While United are bringing in the Ivorian winger Amad Diallo, whose move from Atalanta was arranged in October, Solskjaer said it is less likely they will buy in the winter transfer window.

“The signings we made in the summer strengthened the squad really well,” he added. “Good signings, good players. January is more difficult but if something comes up, that's different. Good teams don't want to lose their players so unlikely on the 'in' side. There might be a few players going out, which is good for the good of their careers."

Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are potential departures. Jones did not make United’s Premier League squad for the first part of the season while he and Rojo were omitted from the Champions League 25-man group. Fosu-Mensah is likely to join Bayer Leverkusen.