Manchester United fans had plenty to smile about on Saturday afternoon as their in-form players hammered Bournemouth 5-2 at Old Trafford.Junior Stanislas’s goal handed the visitors a shock 1-0 lead in the 15th minute, but United were 3-1 up at half-time thanks to goals from Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.Josh King pulled one back from the penalty spot shortly after the restart, but two goals before the hour-mark from Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes earned the Red Devils a comfortable and deserved three points.United finished the weekend fifth in the Premier League table, two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and three behind third-placed Leicester City with five fixtures remaining.It’s all to play for right now and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men are performing so well that they won’t fear any of their remaining five opponents (Aston Villa, Southampton, Crystal Palace, West Ham and Leicester).BT Sport posted a video to their Twitter account on Sunday morning which showed what was being said by the players and managers throughout the game at Old Trafford.After the full-time whistle, Solskjaer approached Nathan Ake and was quoted by BT Sport as saying: "Good luck. You need a bit of luck from your centre-backs. Just keep going."
However, United fans on social media have a different opinion about what Solskjaer really said to the Netherlands international.They reckon the United boss said: “We need a left-footed centre-back, keep going.”Listen to the clip here…We’ll let you decide what Solskjaer said to the Bournemouth defender.The tweet is going viral, with many supporters convinced that Solskjaer was informing Ake of his - and United’s - interest…
It’ll be fascinating to see whether or not United now make a move for the 25-year-old this summer.
GIVEMESPORT’s Rob Swan says…
You have to say, it *does* sound like Solskjaer says the words “we need a left-footed centre-back” to Ake.
But is Ake good enough for Man Utd?
Signed by Bournemouth from Chelsea in June 2017 for a club-record £20 million fee, the centre-back has performed consistently well for the Cherries over the past few seasons.
The Dutchman also possesses an eye for goal, scoring 11 goals in 116 appearances.
It wouldn’t be a shock if United or another top team in England make a move for Ake if Bournemouth are relegated to the Championship.
But while he’d be a decent squad player for the Red Devils, I’m not convinced he’s good enough - at this moment in time, anyway - to become Harry Maguire’s first-choice centre-back partner at the Theatre of Dreams.
Solskjaer may feel differently, however, so watch this space.