Manchester United are ready to step up their pursuit of a fourth-place Premier League finish following the Premier League's winter break, according to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
A 0-0 draw at home to Wolves on February 1 saw the Red Devils miss a golden opportunity to close the gap on Chelsea - who currently occupy the final Champions League spot.
Solskjaer's men are six points off the pace in ninth at the moment, with a crucial trip to Stamford Bridge to face the Blues up next on Monday.
United have beaten Chelsea twice this season, and also have credible victories over Manchester City, Tottenham and Leicester on their record.
However, their results against the Premier League's lesser sides have been far less impressive, with a lack of creativity in the final third proving costly on a number of occasions.
Solskjaer insists United will be rejuvenated after two weeks away from the pitch, as he reflects on a positive training camp in Marbella which brought the squad closer together.
“The break has been very good. It’s good to be back, but we had a good week out there," he told the club's official website. "It was needed and I think we’ll see the benefit in the whole league, never mind just us. The whole Premier League will, I’m sure, benefit from having this break.
“We had to get together again, but we had to give them some days off first to refresh. When we got together, we had a good week training down there and worked hard. It had great facilities, they looked after us down there and the players enjoyed themselves.
"It’s a fantastic way of getting the group gelling together.”
Solskjaer went on to discuss how important three points against Chelsea would be for the Red Devils, while insisting that the winter break will also hold them in good stead to beat Club Brugge in the Europa League knockout stages.
Getty Images“It’s a big game of course, Chelsea have been third or fourth nearly all season so for us and the chasing pack they are the ones to catch," Solskjaer said. "Hopefully, we can get three points that will make a big difference for us going forward.
“Hopefully we’ll go through against Club Brugge, a good team, and if we do, we will have 11 games in those six weeks.
"That’s possible. It’s another hard task for the boys and that’s why this week together and the week off before that, I’m sure we’ll be better off for it. It’s important of course, every game is important. There are only 13 [league] games left to claw back the points we need.”
When asked how Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba are progressing as they continue to recover from respective injuries, Solskjaer responded: "They’re professional and they want to get back as quick as they can.
"It’s a difficult period when you’re a player and you’re injured. I’m sure when we see them on the pitch, they will play with a smile again.”