Solskajer Snubs Paul Pogba As He Names Three ‘Leaders’ At Manchester United

Even though Paul Pogba has revived his career at Manchester United since his return from injury in June, he is not among the three leaders at the Red Devils, according to club’s boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Over the last few months, Pogba was heavily linked with a move away from Man Utd after he mentioned a “new challenge” during Man Utd’s sponsorship event on the club’s tour of Asia and Australia. Under Jose Mourinho, he was stripped of the vice-captaincy when he questioned the Portuguese manager’s tactics after the side drew 1-1 against Wolves at home in September 2018.

However, Pogba rejuvenated under the management of Solskjaer, who took charge of Man Utd when the club sacked Mourinho in December 2018. The three-month break infused by the coronavirus pandemic has further helped Pogba clear his mind in regards to his future at Old Trafford. Moreover, the financial impacts created by the virus is expected to see Pogba stay at Man Utd for another 12 months at least.

After missing the majority of the 2019-20 season due to multiple injuries, Pogba finally netted his first goal of the campaign during Man Utd’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa.

Solskjaer may have successfully blended Pogba within the squad, but the Norwegian snubbed the midfielder when he was asked about the leadership at Man Utd.

"You’ve had an example lately of Marcus Rashford, which showed what kind of human being he is. He is also a leader. He’s stepped forward on the pitch and off the pitch. He stepped forward when took his first penalty ever for Manchester United during the extra time in the Champions League against PSG. He’s never taken a penalty before and he takes it and he scores, and we’re through. Marcus is a leader," Solskjaer said while speaking to The High Performance Podcast.

The other two names the Norwegian manager took as Man Utd’s leaders are their captain Harry Maguire and their latest addition Bruno Fernandes, who joined the Red Devils January.

“Of course, Bruno has come in with the impact he’s made. You can see he’s a leader because players follow him. That was the little spark we needed, I feel, earlier on this season from being a team who should’ve won games to winning more games. And of course, the captain Harry Maguire. He’s been there six months and he’s the captain of the club,” Solskjaer added in the interview.

Southampton scored an equalizer in the 96th minute to hold Man Utd at a 2-2 draw Monday. Had Man Utd won the game, Solskjaer’s team would have climbed into the top four of the Premier League for the first time in a very long time.