Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed Paul Pogba will be fit to face Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Pogba was recuperating from a leg injury during the Red Devils‘ training camp in Dubai, and Solskjaer is confident he is ready to return to action.
Per Chris Wheeler for the Daily Mail, he said: “He looked okay towards the end, so he’ll be fit. He did have some problems but came through the last couple of sessions well.”
Pogba did not take part in United’s 2-0 win over Reading in the FA Cup last time out, but he has been reignited by Solskjaer‘s arrival at Old Trafford.
The Frenchman contributed four goals and three assists in the Norwegian’s first four games in charge as interim manager, and his team-mates’ attacking output has also improved.
Solskjaer has injected more freedom and positivity into the Red Devils’ play than his predecessor Jose Mourinho, and that has proved an effective tactic to getting much more from his players so far.
Where the Portuguese coach would likely have approached an away game against a top-six opponent with a defensive mindset, Solskjaer says he will still be looking for his team to push forward when possible:
“You always adapt to any opponent. They are one of best in the league so we have to be aware of their strengths. But we need to attack teams, that is our strength—going forward, attacking. We have to.
“We are not going to get as many chances to attack against these as we had before so when we have the ball we have to be ready to play well with it, and we have to use the whole pitch because Wembley is a decent size pitch as well.”
Just another day at the office for @PaulPogba 😎 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/ZxkZIVAJff
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) January 9, 2019
United have done well under Solskjaer so far, winning each of his five matches in charge, but the highest-placed side in the Premier League they’ve faced is Bournemouth, who sit in 12th.
Tottenham occupy third, so a trip to face them will be a useful barometer of where United are at in terms of their recent improvement.
Pogba’s performance will have a significant impact on the outcome of the match, too.
He hasn’t had as much influence on United’s biggest games as they’d have liked since his return to Old Trafford in 2016, but if he can apply his recent form to this clash with a stronger opponent it could be a promising sign of things to come from him.