Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confident Paul Pogba's imminent return will boost Manchester United's pursuit of top four finish
by Luke Edwards
Paul Pogba will return to training at Manchester United this weekend with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer predicting his star midfielder will inject fresh momentum into their pursuit of a top four finish.
Interestingly, Champions League qualification remains a realistic ambition for United, according to their manager, even though they are currently nine points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and have largely underwhelmed in the Premier League so far.
Such boldness was indicative of Solskjaer confident mood ahead of Sunday’s home game against Aston Villa, despite the fact his side have just been beaten by FC Astana of Kazakhstan and have meandered along in mid-table for most of the domestic campaign.
With their place in the knockout stage of the Europa League already secured, United left the vast majority of their first team squad at home to prepare for the Villa match, where they will be joined by Pogba following his return from warm weather rehabilitation in Miami.
“So, he's stepping up his recovery and let's see how soon he'll be match-fit and available,” said Solskjaer, who was able to shrug off the defeat to Astana because of the young team he sent out.
“That's gonna be a new signing for us, he's not really been able to play for us, so when we get him back it'll be like a new world-class signing, a new world-class midfielder, so of course we want him back as soon as possible. Every player is allowed to be injured when he's injured and Paul is working hard to be back, no one can doubt his professionalism, his willingness or his desire to play football.
“He's a footballer and he's one of the best midfielders in the world and it'll be like signing a new player before the transfer window opens. We've missed him when he's been away, some of the players - Scotty [McTominay] and Fred - have taken up that challenge and have done well but, of course it's a boost for us when he comes back.
“The beauty we have with Paul is that he can play in so many roles. He can play in a two, he can play in a three and he can play as a number 10.
“And I think we all saw last week, and against Astana, that Jesse [Lingard] is also coming back to his best.
“He played centre midfield at times against Sheffield United and he has the energy and drive to do that. We’ve got more and more coming back and that’s great, we shall see who is fit when Paul is fit because you can’t plan too far ahead in football.”
The arrival of Villa to Old Trafford looks like another winnable game for United which could push them to the cusp of a top six place, but Solskjaer revealed he is still targeting the top four.
“I know we are still in November and it will be December 1st when we come to play Aston Villa on Sunday,” he replied when asked if a defeat to Villa would end their pursuit of the top four.
“There are so many points to play for and win. That is what we are striving for, to get into the top four. There is a bit of a gap, of course, from Leicester City down, but we will still give it a go and the more players we get back [from injury] I’m sure we can start gathering points. We are getting better and better, the boys are really starting to come through physically and mentally compared to when we started the season.”