Manchester United crash out of the Carabao Cup, Solskjaer explains Ronaldo absence

Ole Gunnar Solskjær-Manchester United

Red Devils crash out of League Cup

Manchester United were knocked out of the EFL cup earlier tonight by West Ham United.

Argentine midfielder Manuel Lanzini scored the only goal of the game in the 9th minute and the Red Devils failed to get back into the contest after that.

The defeat will come as a shock to the Premier League giants who have made an impressive start to the campaign.

Both teams rotated their starting lineups heavily and Manchester United managed to field a relatively strong side.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer will be thoroughly disappointed with the performance of his second-string players.

The Red Devils managed to beat West Ham at the weekend and they would have expected to replicate that result here.

Solskjaer explains Ronaldo’s absence

Meanwhile, the Old Trafford outfit were without the services of Cristiano Ronaldo tonight and Solskjaer has now explained why the Portuguese international was not included in the squad for Wednesday’s league cup clash against the Hammers.

The Manchester United manager explained that the 36-year-old was given a rest tonight and he cannot be expected to play every single game.

Solskjaer said (via Goal): “We decided more or less before Sunday [to make changes]. We need more players to get match fit. Alex Telles is back and has been training for a week. It will be a long season.

“Cristiano Ronaldo has come in and made a difference already, he wants to play as much as possible but I don’t think it is possible.

“If you are going to be successful at the end, you need the whole squad and minutes to be shared out. A risk making so many changes but we have played some games behind closed doors and hopefully, we find the rhythm.”

Ronaldo has made an excellent start to life at Manchester United since his return earlier this summer and he has managed to score four goals in just three games across all competitions.