Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes Paul Pogba has been unaffected by speculation he could join Real Madrid in the summer, buts admits there may be a concerted campaign being devised by the Spanish giants to unsettle the midfielder.
The Norwegian manager says his star midfielder remains focused on Manchester United despite speculation linking him to a move to Real Madrid.
Pogba has been linked to Madrid after praising the Spanish side and their coach Zinedine Zidane while on international duty in April, and Zidane later said he would be delighted to have his French compatriot at the Bernabeu in the future.
But United boss Solskjaer insisted on Friday that he doesn’t see any difference in the Frenchman’s approach of late whatever the truth behind the paper talk.
“There might be a campaign, there might be press, you never know what there is. But in my talks with Paul he’s always been positive. I don’t see a difference in him when I chat to him. He’s focused on performing and he’s a proud player. He always gives his best,” Solskjaer told a press conference.
The Norwegian added that, while fellow midfielders Scott McTominay and Fred got much of the praise for a positive performance in the narrow loss to Barcelona on Wednesday, Pogba remained a key contributor.
“I thought first half, we speak about Fred and Scott, but I thought Paul made us play, settled us down a bit in the first half especially. We just fell away towards the end. But the effort he put in was tremendous.
“He has made a difference for us in a few games, so has Romelu [Lukaku], so has Marcus [Rashford]. There have been different players in different periods that have made the difference.
“It’s not just about one player. It’s not just about Paul. He had his highest-ever output physically on Wednesday night: he’d never run as much in a United shirt. That was brilliant. The effort and attitude is there.”
United have lost four of their last five matches and face West Ham at Old Trafford on Saturday knowing that slip-ups need to be at a premium for the remainder of the season as they look to close the three-point gap to Tottenham in the pursuit of Champions League football.
And Solskjaer believes their recent dip in form will help to inform him and the club when it comes to shaping the first-team squad for the remainder of this season and beyond.
“I’m under no illusions that this is going to be plain sailing, it’s going to be hard,” added Solskjaer. “It’s going to be survival of the fittest, or survival of the best. That’s how ruthless we have to be.
We need players here who are going to be able to take us forward. That means culture in the dressing room, what we do every single day here to make us challenge again.
“Liverpool and City are too far head at the moment for what we like. We played against a Barcelona team that sets the standard in European football. We’re under no illusions, it’s going to be hard work and there will be some tough decisions made by me, Mike Phelan and the club.”