“The players don’t seem to care” - Liverpool hero John Arne Riise offers staunch defence of Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks amid his team's run of unconvincing results. Former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise has now jumped to the defense of the tactician, claiming he shouldn't always take the blame.

According to the former Reds defender, the Manchester United players' attitude needs to be questioned as they are not giving their all to help the team.

He explained:

"I do feel for him [Solskjaer], as a person, of course, but he’s stepped into one of the biggest jobs in the world. And when things are not going well like they are now, it’s so easy to learn and manage it but, at the same time, I’ve watched the last three or four games of Man Utd and the attitude from the players – you can’t always blame the manager for everything."

"Look at the aggression, the tightness, the willingness to fight for the club – it’s not there from the players, and that annoys me because, like, myself, I was not the most technical player, but at least I gave 110%, no matter how I was playing. Look at the Man United players now, they don’t seem to care," the former Liverpool left-back added.

Amid rumors of unrest between Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United stars recently, Riise urged the players to remain professional while representing the club.

He said:

"Maybe the players are not happy with how training is going, how they play tactically in training and what Solskjaer is doing before the games."

"But, at the end of the day, they get paid a lot of money to do the job and to support the manager and to play for the fans."

Manchester United manager - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

What next for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United?

It's been a run of tough fixtures for Manchester United in recent weeks. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men have faced the likes of Liverpool, Leicester City, Tottenham, Atalanta and Manchester City in their last six games across all competitions.

Up next, they'll take on Watford in the Premier League after the international break before embarking on another run of huge fixtures. After clashing with the Hornets, the Red Devils lock horns with Villareal, Chelsea, Arsenal and Crystal Palace in their next four games.