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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer explained why Paul Pogba was left out of Manchester United’s win over Istanbul Basaksehir, with Donny van de Beek impressing instead.
United topped their Champions League group after beating Basaksehir 4-1 at Old Trafford on Tuesday, but Pogba was conspicuous by his absence.
The midfielder missed Saturday’s Premier League victory over West Brom after returning from international service with France, which he described as “a breath of fresh air” compared to his current struggles at United.
Pogba has struggled to secure a place in United’s starting lineup since returning from a coronavirus layoff, and faces fresh doubts about his future at the club.
And those doubts were only compounded by Van de Beek’s excellent performance against Basaksehir when Solskjaer left with a set-up in the attacking midfield.
(Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag)
Van de Beek played a decisive role as the Red Devils took a 3-0 lead at halftime with two goals from Bruno Fernandes and a penalty won and scored by Marcus Rashford.
Ajax’s summer signature moved the ball forward quickly, breaking the lines and providing plenty of service to United’s four forwards.
And with Van de Beek showing Solskjaer what he can bring to United’s midfield, coupled with Fernandes’ continued excellent form, the chances of Pogba justifying his £ 89 million price tag may well be running out.
Before Tuesday’s game, Solskjaer explained that Pogba had been ruled out due to his ankle injury.
(Image: PA)
The 27-year-old trained on Monday, but later experienced ankle discomfort and was ruled out for the Basaksehir clash on Tuesday morning.
“His ankle was swollen, he trained yesterday but he wasn’t feeling well and this morning was the confirmation that he couldn’t play,” Solskjaer told MUTV.
Pogba will undoubtedly hope to recover in time for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Southampton, but Van de Beek is surely the man now pushing for his first Premier League start.
After going into halftime at Old Trafford 3-0 up, United scored a fourth quarter through Dan James after Turuc scored a consolation for Basaksehir.
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