Key quotes from Erik’s pre-Brighton press conference

The Manchester United boss was asked about Victor Lindelof, Facundo Pellistri and Jadon Sancho, plus the latest on the transfer front ahead of the deadline at the end of the month.

Here is a selection of what he had to say to the assembled journalists at the Jimmy Murphy Centre…

POSSIBLE FURTHER MOVES IN THE MARKET

“Just be patient, just sit and wait. We are working very hard and we will always try to make the best squad possible. So we have a couple of days [left] and the approach will always be improvement. As long as we have the opportunity, we will look for it and, in this moment, of course I cannot tell any news. When we have news, we will bring it.”

THE BUSINESS SO FAR

“Yes. I am very pleased. It is showing that we are going in the right direction and we know, as a club, we have to catch up but I think it shows our ambition. The way we want to go. I think we have done good business, good players, quality players who will add and contribute to the quality of our squad.”

LINDELOF INJURY

“There is no confusion, he has an issue on his toe. So hopefully he can return quickly but he is not available for the weekend.”

WILL SANCHO RETURN?

“We will see. We have a squad and I hope we will have a squad with double positioning. When we go into the season after 1 September, then that also means you can’t select all the players for a game. But we need all the players throughout the season because this will be a season of survival of the fittest. We have to manage it but also the attitude of the players is important. Sometimes they will be disappointed but they have to deal with it. You don’t win with 11, you win as a squad. The prizes are decided next May so, until then, we need all the players in the squad and we need a high level of high motivation. That is not an expectation, it is a demand from the club and the manager. It is the squad over everything and that will always be more important than just one individual.”

FAREWELL FACUNDO

“He is a very talented player, [he] progressed very well last season but we have a lot of competition in the wide areas. We looked at what we needed as a squad but also every player needs a different perspective. In this moment, we had many players to compete in those positions and we couldn’t give him the right perspective. In this club, he was a very good player, [with] high potential, but what he needs is games to improve and progress. He will get the opportunity at Panathinaikos and we will follow the process.”