What does Ole think of Pogba's performances?

Sunday 25 October 2020 08:00

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has praised the impact Paul Pogba made in his three substitute appearances against Newcastle, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.

The France international began the season in the starting XI but has recently been named on the bench for successive matches, as the manager utilises his squad's valuable strength in depth. 

Pogba has reacted positively, and produced influential performances when entering the action at St James’ Park, the Parc des Princes and Old Trafford, which have caught the eye of his appreciative boss.

During the post-match press conference on Saturday night, Solskjaer offered words of encouragement for Pogba and admitted he may have asked too much of him earlier this season – given that the 27-year-old had missed several weeks of training after contracting coronavirus.
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“You see, when you have got good players, it is a nice challenge and a nice decision to make when you have got players on the bench that can come on to impact the game,” Ole explained to reporters. “I think Paul, in all three games this week, has come on and made a very positive impact. 

“Of course he has been out for a while with the coronavirus this summer. He is getting better and better, and more and more in shape. Maybe I was unfair on him by starting him that early in the first few games. He is coming along and he has done great when he has come on.”
The topic of conversation for places was also raised in Solskjaer’s post-match interview with Sky Sports, when the boss discussed Donny van de Beek’s presence as an unused substitute on Saturday.

“Don’t worry about that,” said the manager. “He will get his games, don’t worry about that. It’s easy to say who should be playing and more difficult to say who shouldn’t.”
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Solskjaer also revealed his thinking behind Fred and Scott McTominay starting in central midfield against Chelsea, admitting our reaction to beating PSG in March 2019 was on his mind.

“We think Scott and Fred have done really well this week, giving us a foothold in the games,” Ole said. “They are a great combination together and we felt after PSG this week that we needed energy in there with them. Last time after PSG, we struggled big time and we lost to Arsenal. 

“We went 12 games and probably didn't deserve to win any of the games. We struggled so today we have got a point on the board against a good team and we were probably the team who had the biggest chances to win it.”

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