Premier League: Manchester United 'absolutely committed' to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, says executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward

London: Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward insisted on Thursday that the club remain committed to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer despite a poor start to the season. United are languishing in 14th in the Premier League table and a fine start to their Champions League campaign came unstuck with a 2-1 defeat to Istanbul Basaksehir last week. “While there is still hard work ahead to achieve greater consistency, we remain absolutely committed to the positive path we are on under Ole as the team continues to develop,” said Woodward as United revealed their first quarter financial results for 2020/2021. The English giants posted an operating loss of £27 million ($36 million), largely due to the loss of matchday revenue with games being played behind closed doors. Commercial revenue was also down 25 percent due to the club not being able to go on a pre-season tour and a fall in merchandising sales from no fans on matchdays. However, Woodward maintained that United are committed to helping lower league clubs through the coronavirus crisis. Proposals for widespread reform of English football led by United and Liverpool were dismissed by other Premier League clubs for what was deemed a power grab by the biggest clubs. “We recognise that not all football clubs are in as robust of a financial position and that the Premier League has a responsibility to support the wider English football pyramid," added Woodward. “We will continue to push for this support, both through emergency assistance during the pandemic, and through longer-term reforms to ensure that the success of the Premier League is reinforced for the benefit of the national game as a whole.”