Why Pogba is starting the Manchester derby
Paul Pogba’s stats at West Ham United last weekend has helped to win the Frenchman his place in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United derby-day XI.
The boss revealed the midfielder showed he is in peak shape again after contracting Coronavirus and suffering an injury, while helping to inspire the comeback at the London Stadium, including scoring a stunning equaliser.
He came off the bench at RB Leipzig to claim another goal in the 3-2 defeat and is one of two changes to the line-up on Saturday, with Fred's introduction the other.
Solskjaer explains our starting XI for the derby
Watch our interview with the boss, as he discusses Fred and Paul Pogba returning to the team...
The Hammers outing was his first Premier League start since the first day of November against Arsenal at Old Trafford. There was more than the fine goal to his performance, which is why he has been given the nod to start against Pep Guardiola’s Blues.
“He got his injury after the international break and missed out a few games there but he played and did his highest total of physical output against West Ham,” Ole told MUTV's Stewart Gardner before kick-off.
“So he’s getting back to shape and is fitter and fitter now so should be ready to go again.”
“We want to play well – they’ve had good performances, both Paul and Fred are in good form and we wanted to get them on the pitch today,” the manager added.
“We need energy and we need quality because we’re playing a good team.”