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What did Ralf and Pogba speak about?

by
Joe Ganley
Friday 10 December 2021 12:39

Interim boss Ralf Rangnick will meet with Paul Pogba in person on Sunday, after our no.6 returned to the UK today (Friday).

The midfielder has been absent due to injury since the last international break, when he picked up a problem during a France training session.
 
His last involvement for United was in the 2-2 draw with Atalanta over a month ago and he has been working on his recovery in Dubai in the meantime.
 
But Rangnick is optimistic about the World Cup winner's return and, during Friday's press conference, told reporters about a recent telephone conversation they had shared.
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“We spoke on the phone two days ago, no I think it was on Tuesday [three days ago]...” said Ralf.

“He's still in Dubai and is due to come back today and then we'll get to know each other in person on Sunday but we had a telephone call for about 10-15 minutes.

“He told me that he was getting better but obviously not being fully fit. From what I've heard so far, it'll take another couple of weeks until he's fit for training again.

“Then, of course, he has been out for quite some time. I suppose it will take him another couple of weeks to get him match fit but in the first instance it's important for him to become fully fit, to be able to train with the rest of the group and then we have to develop him physically and tactically to be also fit to play in the Premier League.”

Pogba started the 2021/22 season like a house on fire, and only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has more assists than his seven in the Premier League.
 
But the 28-year-old is yet to feature in Rangnick's new-look 4-2-2-2, which could see Pogba play as a deep-lying midfielder or as a no.10 alongside Bruno Fernandes.
 
The manager is encouraged by the way United's players have responded to his coaching and tactical systems in just a short space of time, and will be hoping he can integrate Pogba just as swiftly.

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“In the first instance it was about getting to know the players,” he explained. “As you know, we had one training [session] before the game against Crystal Palace, and then obviously we have gone through a lot of video footage with them, to tell them how to play.
 
“They did well in that game. Not everything was perfect but quite a few things worked well. We were always on the front foot and had control. Now it's about taking the next steps. 
 
“We don't have that many training sessions. This week we had a few but with the full group, we had a couple of players from the U19s and U21s to train with us. The basis of what we showed v Crystal Palace was good. We didn't allow them to score or have many opportunities. We had a clean sheet. Now we have Norwich.”

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