5 Reasons why Paul Pogba has been brilliant under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Paul Pogba had been in a deep mess right up to the Liverpool game in the middle of December this year. The French midfielder had been poor for most parts and had looked uninspired, and disinterested on the pitch.
Tensions had increased between him and Jose Mourinho and there had been a lot of reports of dissent. This had led to Pogba being relegated to the bench during the last phase of the Portuguese's reign and there were even reports of the midfielder looking for a transfer ahead of the winter transfer window.
All of that changed after the loss to Liverpool, which saw Mourinho exit the club. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's appointment was like a breath of fresh air for United fans and even though there were some doubts with his appointment, there was a genuine positivity in the club.
For Paul Pogba, it was a walk through the memory lane, as he had worked under the Norwegian as a teenager when Solskjaer was the reserves team manager. The fact that the Frenchman was happy to see his old boss was evident in the first two games after the change.
Pogba scored two goals and picked up two assists in Solskjaer's perfect start to his new role at Manchester United. The French midfielder now has 7 goals and 6 assists in 22 games in all season so far. In the Premier League, he has 5 goals and 5 assists from 16 games, just 1 shy of his last season's tally of 6 goals.
As such, here are 5 reasons why Pogba has been brilliant under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and will get even better as the season progresses.
#5 A style of play that suits him
Paul Pogba was stifled under the defensive strategies of Jose Mourinho. While the floodgates did open once in a while, Mourinho mostly opted to set his team up in a defensive mode. He preferred rigid players in the middle like Fellaini and had a back four with limited flexibility. This meant that Pogba rarely got the support that he required from his teammates.
Under Solskjaer, the shackles around the Frenchman have been broken for now and Pogba finds himself a part of a team that attacks in unison. This new look Manchester United loves to go forward and this is the strategy that suits Pogba the most.
The defence is a bit higher up on the pitch and everyone is looking to run towards the opposition. This gives Pogba a lot of options and also opens up a lot of room for the Frenchman to weave his magic. He already looks like a world class player again, but as the season progresses, one can expect him to get even better.