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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has closed the door to Sergio Agüero who joins Manchester United.
Solskjaer believes loyalty comes first in football, insisting he has no interest in Aguero becoming the first Manchester City player in 25 years to move to Old Trafford by targeting a thinly veiled attack on his Treble’s teammate, Peter Schmeichel, for joining the Blues. .
Aguero, City’s record scorer, is available for free after confirming that he will leave Etihad when his contract expires in the summer, and wants to remain in the Premier League.
But Solskjaer said: “When I was playing for Manchester United, if a rival club tried to sign me and I was gone… well, where is the loyalty?
“Loyalty is one of the values that I really put up with.
“I wouldn’t expect any player who has played for a club for 10 years to want to go to their local rivals.
“It’s not for me. I know we’re professionals, but when you play for Man United you don’t go to Man City.
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“We have had examples of that, and I really don’t agree with that.
“I will not name names, but everyone knows who I mean. Enough talk.”
Agüero has scored eight derby goals in his decade with City; only Wayne Rooney, Francis Lee and Joe Hayes have scored more in the game’s 140-year history.
Carlos Tevez controversially moved from United to City in 2010, and seven years earlier, there was anger at Old Trafford when Schmeichel joined the Blues.
The Dane left United after helping them win the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in 1999 and joined Sporting Lisbon claiming that he could no longer handle the physicality of English football.
But he moved to Aston Villa two years later and switched to City in 2002.
In months, he helped the Blues win their first derby in 13 years with a 3-1 victory in which Solskjaer took the consolation of United.
(Image: Getty Images)
Tony Coton, who now works as United’s goalkeeper scout, was the last player to go from blue to red when he became a substitute for Schmeichel following a £ 500,000 deal in January 1996.
United take on Brighton today at Old Trafford, and Solskjaer declines to reveal whether Jesse Lingard has a future at the club despite impressing on loan at West Ham.
The 28-year-old Lingard has put himself within the framework of a spot on Gareth Southgate’s Euros squad after winning his first international matches for nearly two years in last week’s triple World Cup qualifying title.
But Solskjaer kept his advice on the midfielder’s long-term future when asked about his plans for next season.
Solskjaer has been impressed with the impact the 28-year-old has had at the London stadium.
And he was eager to talk about those performances rather than confirm whether Lingard still has a future at Old Trafford.
Solskjaer said: “You know, sometimes as a coach, you can think only of yourself and your own team.
(Image: Getty Images)
“The selfish thing would have been to stay with Jesse, because he would have had the opportunity.
“He knows we made the decision to let him go and that was a personal decision that he was going to benefit from and West Ham was going to benefit from.
“He deserved to play more towards the end of the season because there are also big Euros in the summer and we hope he will be part of them.
“I have always rated Jesse very highly. For different reasons, it has not worked for you in the last year.
“But he knows how I feel about him, both as a person and as a player, and the way he’s handled things that people don’t really know about.
“Of course, I have tried to help him as best I can, but seeing how he has handled it has been a role model for everyone.
“He has kept his head down, has focused on his football and is rewarded with his performances.”
Solskjaer added: “Returning to England, he played three times for the national team and played very well.
“On a personal level, I am very happy for Jesse because you know how hard he has worked for this.
“And on a professional level, we know what he can do and of course he’s a Man United player, he’s been to the academy, he knows what we expect, the standard here, and he’s definitely helped his own career in that. way.”
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