Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: There is nothing I can do about Alexis Sanchez

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed only Alexis Sanchez can save himself after his miserable Manchester United career took another turn for the worse.

And the caretaker United manager says he may need to find another way of playing if Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard face a spell on the sidelines through injury after admitting he does not have the options in reserve to play the pressing game he wants.

Sanchez was a virtual bystander in United’s 2-0 Champions League last-16, first-leg defeat to Paris St-Germain at Old Trafford on Tuesday night as Solskjaer tasted defeat for the first time in 12 games.

And the Norwegian said the onus was now on Sanchez to revive his career after a shambolic first 13 months at United following his £500,000 a week move from Arsenal.

“I'm not the one,” Solskjaer said when asked what he could do to help Sanchez. “I can't do anything about Alexis Sanchez. When he plays he needs to finds himself because we know there's a quality player there.”

The Chile striker replaced the injured Lingard moments before half-time but was completely ineffective in the second half as PSG swarmed over United, scoring twice and only goalkeeper David De Gea’s brilliance preventing the French champions from running riot.

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Solskjaer’s problems were compounded by a groin injury to Martial that forced the Frenchman’s substitution at half-time and his replacement, Juan Mata, was also peripheral.

Neither Sanchez nor Mata were able to press with the intensity or urgency that Lingard and Martial offer United in tandem with striker Marcus Rashford and the prospect of being without two-thirds of his first-choice attack for Monday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Chelsea has left Solskjaer considering an alternative playing style. Striker Romelu Lukaku did not even get off the substitutes’ bench against PSG.

Lingard, who tweaked his hamstring, and Martial will be closely assessed over the next 48 hours but the potential loss of that pair could not be more poorly timed with the Chelsea game followed by the visit of Liverpool to Old Trafford in the Premier League.

Asked if he did not have the options to fall back on without Martial and Lingard, Solskjaer said: “That's the reality. Jesse and Anthony are big parts of our squad. They've played really well. Second half we didn't have so much movement and pace to get in behind. Juan got on the ball for us and created a few bits. We maybe need to find a different way to play when Anthony and Jesse are out.”

Whereas PSG were able to deploy Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler in the absence of the injured Neymar and Edinson Cavani, Solskjaer said the lack of like for like replacements for Martial and Lingard reinforced the need to strengthen in the summer.

But he also raised the prospect of promoting from within the academy, which could open the door for the likes of Angel Gomes, Tahith Chong and Mason Greenwood, and raises more questions over the long-term futures of Sanchez, Mata and Lukaku.

“We've got the question about reality check and of course its a reality check,” Solskjaer said. “You can see the strength they (PSG) have when they put those players (Di Maria and Draxler) in. That's the level we want to get to. We know and we are looking to strengthen the squad. There are so many young players we have who can step forward for next season.”

Solskjaer admitted he faced an anxious wait over Martial and Lingard’s fitness. “You don't know,” he said. “Muscular injuries, hamstring and groin. We'll need a couple of days to assess them