Football
Rob Dawson, Correspondent 4y

Manchester United will back Solskjaer in coronavirus-impacted transfer window

Manchester United chief Ed Woodward has assured fans manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be backed in the transfer market, but has warned that the club is "not immune from the financial impact of coronavirus."

United's executive vice-chairman has reiterated his belief that it will not be "business as usual" in the next transfer window but insists the club are still aiming to build a team capable of winning trophies.

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"It's always a top priority for us to strengthen the team and build on what Ole is very clearly achieving in terms of bringing us back to the top," said Woodward.

"But we've got to have clarity on what the future holds. What's the impact on broadcast deals, sponsorship deals? It is not necessarily going to be business-as-usual for clubs this summer.

"Clearly it's true we are fortunate to be in a strong financial position compared to many clubs, but we are not immune from the financial impact of what this virus is doing.

"We aim to remain highly competitive in the market. As I said before and I've said this many times -- we remain committed to backing Ole to win trophies. That's our core objective as a club."

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the shut down of football across Europe and top-flight leagues in Netherlands and France have already been called off.

Woodward is keen for the current Premier League season to be completed, although he admits if it happens it may have to be behind closed doors.

"I think we all agree that we want supporters back watching football at Old Trafford as soon as possible," said Woodward, who was speaking at a fan forum via a conference call.

"That can only happen when we are advised it is safe to do so and clearly the government has a major say in that.

"No decisions have been made yet but we think it is possible that the initial games, particularly the ones related to finishing or trying to complete this season, will probably have to be played behind closed doors -- but that isn't confirmed yet."

An extended campaign is likely to mean next season will start later than usual and Woodward has cast doubt on whether there will be room for the FA Cup in what is set to be a packed schedule.

"We don't yet know what's going to happen with regards to the FA Cup, we're obviously still in that [this season] in the quarterfinals," said Woodward.

"What's going to happen to that next season if the season is truncated a little bit to squeeze in Premier League games? Does that have a knock-on on domestic cups? There are many, many moving parts."

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