Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has compelled Manchester United to start the Premier League season forcefully as they look to avoid a repeat of last year. 
United lost three of their first six games last campaign, which comprised an opening day defeat to Crystal Palace, and Solskjaer is aware that his team can ill afford to have another slow start this time around. 
After starting pre-season with a 2-1 victory against Derby County, Solskjaer implied that he will be concentrating on naming strong lineups in the remaining friendlies ahead of the first league game at home to Leeds on August 14.
Solskjaer told the club’s official website: ‘There’ll probably be less and less for the kids – that’s just the way it goes. We have to start better than last season. We didn’t get off to a decent start at all and now it’s the first one under the belt.
‘I think the Premier League is more competitive [than it used to be]. We had [when I was a player] maybe one competitor every season so, of course, the first six or seven games, it’s very important to stay there. You don’t win the league in the first six or seven games, but you can lose the chance of winning the league.’
United ended up finishing second last season but was 12 points adrift of champions and rivals Manchester City.
MANCHESTER UNITED’S FIRST SEVEN LEAGUE GAMES 
August 14 – Leeds (home)
August 22 – Southampton (away)
August 29 – Wolves (away)
September 11 – Newcastle (home)
September 19 – West Ham (away)
September 25 – Aston Villa (home)
October 2 – Everton (home) 
Solskjaer will be fully aware that 2019-20 champions Liverpool will be expected to respond next season, while Champions League holders Chelsea will also pose a threat. 
The signing of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund for £73million, which is set to be finalised soon, should boost United’s hopes of success as they continue in their quest to win the title for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge in 2012-13. 
Defensive reinforcements are also needed, with United looking to be more resilient at the back.
After taking on Leeds, Solskjaer’s team will face trips to take on Southampton and Wolves before games against Newcastle (home), West Ham (away) and Aston Villa (home).
While none of those fixtures could be described as straightforward, United do have an inviting chance to build up some tempo before they take on the likes of Leicester, Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in October and November.