Heading back to the match against Tottenham at the resumption of the games, Manchester United will see the return of Paul Pogba on the pitch and per the new game plan prepared by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Frenchman is to pair up with Bruno Fernandes. The change is welcome to Pogba, who is said to be "super motivated."
The tweak by Solskjaer will see Pogba playing as No. 10 and taking up his role as the central operator in a diamond midfield formation. Fernandes will be assigned as the playmaker and wearing the No. 8 jersey. Then as envisioned by pundits, Scott McTominay will join the frontline by taking up a holding role ahead of the defense.
The Sun reported that Pogba is being set up to become United's perfect No. 10 and this aligns with the insinuations from Solskjaer earlier that the World Cup winner together with Fernandes will be the focus of United's attacking capabilities.
The new formation is a testament to the United manager's continued faith in the former Juventus star, often the subject of bashing by fans who believe he is more of a liability than an asset to the club. At the same time, Solskjaer is showing his approval of Fernandes, whose arrival at Old Trafford in January provided the boost needed by the club.
Since the Portuguese was acquired from Sporting, the Red Devils started winning games and were on a run of victories before the games were halted in March.
As for Pogba, the United boss has reiterated that the new No. 10 is certainly part of the club and will stay so in the next two years or until the player's contract expires in 2022.
"Paul is our player and has got two years left on his contract. There is also the option of another year so you can expect Paul to be here," the Norwegian boss was reported as saying.
Meanwhile, Pogba's compatriot, Louis Saha, shared that in his talks with the 27-year-old, he noticed that the midfielder seemed buoyed by the latest development at United. Pogba sent the message across that working with Fernandes on the field fresh motivation to play the game.
"He's super motivated, so I really want to see not a new Pogba, but Pogba with support ... Now he has Bruno Fernandes next to him, who's another leader, another creator," Goal reported the United hero as saying.
Saha said Pogba is ready to play his best football when he reports for active duty in United, which is the Frenchman's way of proving the critics wrong.
