Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has warned Manchester United supporters they should not expect a lavish spending spree in the summer to help bridge the gap with Manchester City.
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City look set to land a third title in four years after opening up a healthy lead at the top of the Premier League table. United have been their nearest challengers for much of the season and even though they are paying catch up, Solskjaer insists the club will have to be cautious with their spending in the next transfer window because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
"It's definitely affecting everyone in football the pandemic," Solskjaer told a news conference on Tuesday. "Of course the lack of income, the finances has affected everyone. It might affect us all well.
"We have to be realistic and responsible in the way we do our business both on and off the pitch. There are improvements on the training ground, stadium -- we have to look at the whole picture. Where can we spend the money? And how much is there? It's just the real world now. It has changed.
"I think there's just going to be less and less transfers happening in the world of football with all these changes."
Sources have told ESPN that Solskjaer will have money to spend in the summer. But the club's latest financial figures, due to be released on Thursday, are set to show a significant impact caused by the pandemic and Solskjaer says the restraints on spending may lead to more young players being promoted from the academy.
"You can look at it in different ways," he said. "We have players in the academy that we now can maybe give opportunities for. All clubs in the world are going through the same situation so it's no different for other clubs than for us."
Despite the continuing financial uncertainty, Solskjaer and his recruitment team are still finalising plans for the summer window. Sources have told ESPN that centre-backs, defensive midfielders and forwards are all being looked at but Solskjaer may have to prioritise where to spend the money that is made available.
"We're always looking to improve our squad, of course we are," said Solskjaer. "We're always looking at better players, of course we are."
Source: espn.co.uk