Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took another tentative step on the road to full fitness at Altrincham, unconcerned about the threat to his Manchester United place from Louis Saha.
The Norwegian forward has managed just an hour of game time since having surgery to correct a knee complaint that has limited him to six appearances this season. The absence has been an especially bitter blow as Solskjaer had been earmarked by Sir Alex Ferguson as the right-sided midfield replacement for David Beckham.
Since then, Ferguson has splashed out £12,8-million to sign Saha from Fulham and the Frenchman has wasted no time making his mark, netting three times in his first three outings for the Old Trafford club.
Saha’s form, plus the emergence of the Scottish international Darren Fletcher, means Solskjaer is no longer guaranteed a place in the United line-up, even when he is fully recovered.
But the 30-year-old, who turned out for United’s second team against Liverpool on Thursday, seems unfazed by the prospect of a bit-part role in the remainder of United’s campaign.
‘All I want to do is contribute to the team. If the manager just wants me for 15 minutes that’s fine,†he said.
‘Fortunately I am with a club where there are so many good players that the manager doesn’t need to rush people. Obviously I am very happy to be available again.”
Solskjaer’s chances of an early first-team return are boosted by the fact that, unlike Saha, he is available for the FA Cup quarterfinal against either Fulham or West Ham on March 6 — although he could play against Leeds on Saturday and also make next week’s Champions League trip to Porto.
Milan Baros is also determined to resume his injury-hit season. The forward has been out since September with a broken ankle and while the Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier believes he ‘needs another reserve run-out before he is back in the first team”, Baros is anxious to return.
‘My first aim is to get back into the Liverpool team. I want us to qualify for next year’s Champions League,” he said. ‘Then I have the European Championships. It is going to be difficult for us because we are in a tough group … but I think we can get through to at least the quarterfinals.” —