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Former Liverpool and Manchester United striker Michael Owen has slammed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his negative team selection against Leeds United.
Manchester United took on Leeds in the Premier League last Sunday and TV pundit Owen was not happy with Solskjaer's team selection.
The Red Devils played out a 0-0 draw against Marcelo Bielsa's side and missed the opportunity to close in on Manchester City. United are now 10 points behind their 'noisy neighbours' with only 5 games left in the league this season.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decided to leave Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani on the bench for the game against Leeds. Pogba came on as a second-half substitute but was unable to make an impact.
OGS probably wanted his star players to get some rest against Leeds with Manchester United's Europa League semi-final first leg against AS Roma coming up this Thursday.
Michael Owen was, however, highly critical of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team selection. The former Liverpool striker was shocked to see Solskjaer fielding two defensive midfielders for their match against Leeds United, who are currently in ninth place in the Premier League table.
"I was disappointed with the team that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer picked. I thought it was quite a negative team. You're going to a team that you've already beaten 6-2 in the Premier League, you don't really need two sitting midfielders. I thought it was a negative statement to start with," Owen told Metro.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is likely to switch his focus to the Europa League
Manchester United are likely to place less importance on the Premier League as they approach the climax of the season. The Red Devils are all but certain to qualify for the Champions League next season and are unlikely to catch Manchester City with just five games left to go in the league campaign.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have taken part in five semi-finals in the last two years and have never progressed to a final. The Manchester United boss will therefore be desperate to guide his side to the final of the Europa League this season.
Manchester United will play AS Roma in a two-legged encounter over the next two weeks. This could force him to rest a number of star players for Manchester United's clash with Liverpool on Sunday as well.
