Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes English clubs have "picked the short straw" when it comes to the transfer window closing next week, despite most teams in Europe having until the end of August.
So far this summer, the Red Devils have signed right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace for around €54 million (£50 million), as well as Welsh winger Daniel James from Championship side Swansea City for over €16 million (£15 million).
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Manchester United boss Solskjaer said, "we're looking good. Of course, we've been working on a few cases over the summer. It's never easy. The club has been very good and the market is very hard. We're trying to get to the start of the season with the squad that we want."
In September 2017, Premier League clubs voted to close the transfer window before the start of the season, due to a lot of managers complaining that their teams weren't finalised when kicking-off the new campaign. However, the Norwegian native doesn't think it is a good idea.
"I think we have picked the short straw, to be fair," Solskjaer said. "When our league starts there is still three more weeks that clubs can be hovering around our players. I don't think it is a good one for us, no."
He also spoke about him taking Manchester United into the future, "you have to plan for the long-term. We need results and performances short-term as well. I've always been that type of manager, thinking the best thing for the club in the long run."
Manchester United start their Premier League campaign at home to Chelsea on August 11th, which will be the debut competitive game for new coach Frank Lampard who took over for Maurizio Sarri we left Stamford Bridge for Juventus. Solskjaer says he is looking forward to the game, "yes, we've met so many times on the pitch. It just shows that time moves on, and we are getting older."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
