Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he had to ‘tear the house down’ before attempting to rebuild the club.

The Norwegian has been in charge at Old Trafford for around 14 months, although he was only appointed as permanent boss last March.

Solskjaer has modified United’s approach to recruitment, prioritising younger, hungrier British players last summer, before adding Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo to the ranks in January.

He also sanctioned the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, two players who reportedly wanted to leave Old Trafford, ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.

And Solskjaer has explained that a major overhaul was required at United when he took charge.

‘I’ve been asked to do this job,’ he said. ‘I think the fans see what we’re trying to do and it had to be done.

‘As I’ve said last week, three weeks ago, four weeks ago, five weeks ago – it’s a rebuild. You had to tear the house down and you had to get players out that weren’t here in their minds.

‘We’ve got players here now who will go that extra yard, that culture I want to set, that’s the Man United culture.

‘I know we’re not in the Sir Alex Ferguson era, but the players that we have, they have the right mentality and they’re good personalities.

‘That, for me, is the first tick. You don’t stay here if you don’t give everything to this team.

‘Of course, we are a different squad to the championship-winning squad that Sir Alex Ferguson had.

‘You can’t expect this group of players now – they haven’t had that experience of winning and having that, but that will come in the next few years, definitely.

‘That’s what we’re working for and that’s why those players are here, because I can see the Man United character in them.’

United are not in action again until 17 February, when they travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.