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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told his Manchester United stars that “no one is bigger than this club” after praising Paul Pogba’s performances since Mino Raiola’s inflammatory comments last week.
Pogba’s agent gave an interview in Italy in which he gave the death sentence for the midfielder’s career at Old Trafford, and posting the comments a day before United’s decisive Champions League game at RB Leipzig. caused frustration within the club.
But while Raiola’s comments have once again highlighted Pogba’s immediate future at United, the World Cup winner has produced his most consistent performances of the season since then and his response to the furore sparked by the interview has been praised. by Solskjaer.
The 27-year-old came off the bench to nearly salvage a lost cause in Leipzig and has started back-to-back Premier League games, impressing against Manchester City and Sheffield United.
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While Raiola’s comments have reaffirmed Pogba’s desire to leave Old Trafford, the midfielder has stopped talking on the pitch and Solskjaer insists he has ‘United DNA’, despite agitating to get away from the club.
“Paul was here when he was a kid in the U-18, we hired him from the beginning, he comes with the Man United DNA in him. He knows what we’re doing,” said the United manager.
“Man United is about being on a team. I wouldn’t stand anyone thinking it’s bigger than Man United because no one is. Absolutely no one is and Paul knows it. It’s not just Paul, it’s for all of us.
“Paul has always been an ambitious boy who loves to play football. He trains well, he never refuses to train or play, he has a good attitude. Of course he wants to do the best he can when he’s on the team, the minutes you have in the field. “
Pogba’s excellent performance at Bramall Lane in the win against Sheffield United on Thursday rekindled memories of the havoc he wreaked alongside Bruno Fernandes in United’s brilliant run of form after blocking last season.
The duo have started just six Premier League games together this season and United have won just two of them, but Solskjaer insists there are extenuating circumstances.
“Do you have your stats from when Paul came back from injury this summer when we restarted after the lockout,” Solskjaer responded after being set the pair’s record this season.
“We were 14 points behind Leicester and I think Paul, Bruno and Nemanja played almost every game in midfield. So if you look back, the statistics for this season are a bit skewed.
“Paul has been injured this season, he has had Covid. Now he is about to be back in top form. It is not about Bruno or Paul, it is more than that. It is the balance in the team. Some games will make him play together. , sometimes they won’t. “
While Pogba’s return to form is welcome, his fate at United is unlikely to change and a parting of the way seems likely at the end of this season.
Manchester United got back on the winning track against humble Sheffield United and are now aiming for a similar result against Pennine’s rivals Leeds United.
The bitter rivalry with Leeds is renewed at Old Trafford on Sunday, with Marcelo Bielsa’s intense style of play offering a major challenge to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s hopes that his side will be a genuine challenge for the Premier League title.
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Raiola’s comments were criticized by former United players, with Gary Neville suggesting that the club should sever ties with the agent, a move that would make an attempt to sign Borussia Dortmund forward and Raiola client Erling Haaland impossible, with Solskjaer a fan. of his compatriot.
However, the United manager sidestepped that decision, saying he only deals with the player when trying to recruit new signings, leaving discussions with agents to club bosses like Ed Woodward and Matt Judge.
“I leave the negotiations with the agents to the club. I rarely speak with the agents. I speak with the players and that’s the most important thing to me,” Solskjaer said.
“I need to see them face to face. That’s my opinion. I think it’s important, the relationship between the player and the coach, it’s just like the old days. I want players who can also handle life. You can not go through the agents.” .
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