Solskjaer clarifies Man Utd penalty arrangement with Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that there is not one permanent penalty-taker at Manchester United, and the decision is made based on a player’s confidence.

Solskjaer was asked to clarify the penalty arrangement after Marcus Rashford stepped up and scored against Bournemouth at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Bruno Fernandes had been expected by some supporters to take the spot-kick, after successfully converting his previous one against Tottenham Hotspur in the opening game of the Premier League restart.

But Rashford, who is also a proficient taker, was without a goal since the restart on Saturday and cooly put United into a 2-0 lead.

Solskjaer believes in both of his main penalty takers, and referred to when Rashford would have stepped up to take the match-winning spot-kick against Spurs had the original refereeing decision not been overturned by VAR.

“It’s going to be a job they will share again,” Solskjaer said in Wednesday’s press conference, as quoted by Laurie Whitwell, Manchester United reporter at the Athletic. 

“It’s who feels confident there and then. You saw Bruno score against Tottenham. I think Marcus would’ve taken the next one but we got the VAR call. I’m very confident in both of them.”

Many supporters are against the use of multiple penalty takers as it creates a sense of confusion or conflict between the players who share the responsibility.

United fans were left bewildered after Paul Pogba missed his penalty against Wolves in August after a deliberation with Rashford.

Solskjaer is fortunate to have a number of excellent specialists in his squad, but it’s interesting that he does not choose to designate the responsibility to an individual player.

READ MORE: Solskjaer outlines the type of transfer targets he is focusing on in Man United rebuild

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