LONDON • One of the reasons Ed Woodward appointed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Manchester United's interim manager was based on the belief that the Norwegian could get the best out of Paul Pogba.
It was the former striker who gave a 16-year-old Pogba his debut for United's reserve team in 2009 and his admiration for the midfielder has not dimmed.
Four months ago, when Jose Mourinho's faith in the player was waning, Solskjaer, who is on loan from Norwegian club Molde till the end of the season, said he "would absolutely, no doubt build the United team around him".
His ringing endorsement was repaid by Pogba, who scored only his second brace in the Premier League, in their 3-1 home win over Huddersfield on Boxing Day.
With the midfielder adding to his two assists in the 5-1 win at Cardiff, Solskjaer feels that United are finally seeing the "Paul I know".
He said: "He is one I really enjoyed (watching today). The Paul I've known since he was in the reserves and youth team with me.
"He has always been a happy boy, he's always had a big smile on his face. Paul loves playing for this club. He's a United boy through and through, a kid who knows what it means to play for United."
Pogba had been benched for the three league games prior to Mourinho's sacking, but Solskjaer has shown faith since taking over, restoring the French World Cup winner to his two starting line-ups.
While the Red Devils again cruised to victory, the outcome could have been different if goalkeeper David de Gea had not kept out an effort from Laurent Depoitre moments before the hosts' second goal, scored by Pogba.
"Dave's save was the defining moment. One of the best saves I've seen," said Solskjaer.
The 46-year-old also touched on his return to Old Trafford, where he spent 11 seasons as a player.
He said: "It's special to walk out there, hearing the crowd again singing my song. Normally, they started after I scored a goal, not before the game after I walked out.
"I'll never forget these two games."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, THE TIMES, LONDON
Aguero inches City closer to title Agencies Updated Sergio Aguero's 20th Premier League goal of the season left Manchester City just two wins from the title after a hard-fought 1-0 victory
Aguero inches Man City closer to title - sports.yahoo.com
A disappointing night for United got worse when midfielder Pogba was sent off for a second booking after a foul on Dani Alves, leaving PSG in pole position to reach the last eight. "It is a great achievement to come here and win," said Tuchel, who praised his team's confidence and work ethic.
Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku rediscovered his finishing touch in fine fashion, scoring a superb goal in each half to help them to a 3-1 Premier League win at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
La Liga are sceptical of a report linking its president Javier Tebas to the English Premier League but admit the link is 'a source of pride' for the Spanish top flight. A report in The Times said the Spanish league chief was a surprise leading candidate to replace Richard Scudamore as Premier League chief executive.
La Liga boss Javier Tebas plays down talk of Premier League
global.espn.com/football/english-premier-league/story/3784045/la-liga-boss-javier-tebas-plays-down-talk-of-premier-league-top-job
Tebas, a lawyer by profession, has been at the helm of the Spanish Football League (LFP) since 2013. He has successfully worked on strengthening the finances of the country's 42 first and second division teams and has the stated aim of pushing for La Liga to compete with the Premier League on an economic level.
Jan 17, 2019 · AL AIN, United Arab Emirates (AP) Qatar finished the group stage of the Asian Cup with a third straight win, beating three-time champion Saudi Arabia 2-0 on Thursday in a highly charged game amid
World Cup 2018: Russia vs Saudi Arabia, result, video
Thomas Muller angered by Germany exclusion and vows to win back place in Joachim Low's plans "Shortly after we were told of the decision, pre-prepared statements from the DFB were delivered to the
Thomas Muller 'angry' after announcement that he'll no longer
FIFA study backs 48-team World Cup in 2022 . A FIFA feasibility study has concluded the 2022 World Cup can expand to 48 teams by using at least one of Qatar's neighbors as an additional host, and
Fifa backs 48-team World Cup in 2022, Football News & Top
Manchester City took a huge step towards retaining the Premier League title as a 2-0 win at Manchester United on Wednesday took them a point clear of Liverpool at the top of the table with three games to go. Bernardo Silva and Leroy Sane struck for the visitors in 12 second-half minutes at Old
City inflict more pain on Man Utd to go back top - The
thenigerianexpression.com/2019/04/25/city-inflict-more-pain-on-man-utd-to-go-back-top/
City inflict more pain on Man Utd to go back top By The Nigerian Expression on April 25, 2019 Manchester(UK), April 25, 2019 (TNE) Manchester City took a big step towards retaining the Premier League title as they beat Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford.
Man City Inflict More Pain On Man Utd To Top Premier League
Madrid plans 'robust' security for all-English Champions League final A view of the advertisement of the 2019 Champions League Final in Madrid. Madrid will deploy an unprecedented number of police and security personnel for Saturday's all-English Champions League final, and use a drone for the first time to monitor fan activity.
Liverpool's Lovren unlikely to face Bayern, says Klopp FILE PHOTO: Liverpool's Dejan Lovren speaks with Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, Britain - Jan 7, 2019
Liverpool's Lovren unlikely to face Bayern, says Klopp
Liverpool will be without forwards Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino when they face Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final as they look to overturn a 3-0 deficit, manager
Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino miss Liverpool's Champions
Unfinished Business | Deadliest Catch
LONDON (Reuters) - Rescuers ended their search on Thursday for the plane carrying Premier League soccer player Emiliano Sala, which disappeared over the English Channel three days ago, after
Football: Rescuers end search for missing plane carrying Sala
0 comments:
Post a Comment