Solskjaer has reportedly rejected loan bids for van de Beek, Tuanzebe and Williams

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to retain a big squad at Manchester United, according to ESPN.

United’s players have so far not been hugely affected by Covid-19, but Solskjaer doesn’t want an outbreak to decimate his squad.

That, combined with the hectic fixture schedule with the Europa League returning, means Solskjaer wants numbers.

Accordingly, he has turned down loan offers for three United players this month.

Manchester United Training Session — (Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Donny van de Beek’s lack of gametime has been a hot topic this season and he has apparently been the subject of loan bids.

But Solskjaer has blocked his exit because he wants to keep up the fight for silverware up on all three fronts.

There has also been talk about Brandon Williams leaving on loan this month but the report suggests that won’t be happening either.

Williams played at right back against Watford in the FA Cup and Timothy Fosu-Mensah’s departure has likely made him Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s obvious deputy for the second half of the season.

Solskjaer has also apparently fielded loan enquiries for Axel Tuanzebe, but rejected those as well.

Tuanzebe hasn’t been able to build on the stunning display in Paris with a run of games but he will likely get games as the season wears on.

The report also claims that Solskjaer hopes Jesse Lingard can be persuaded to stay until the end of the season at least, such is his desire to maintain squad depth.

The chase for trophies continues on Sunday with a crunch FA Cup meeting with an out-of-sorts Liverpool at Old Trafford.

It remains to be seen which changes, if any, Solskjaer will make for that game, which represents a real opportunity to eliminate a rival from the competition.