MOTM Pogba scored twice in Manchester United's 4-1 win over Bournemouth at Old Trafford
Sunday 30 December 2018 19:41, UK
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was delighted with Paul Pogba’s man-of-the-match performance against Bournemouth on Sunday, insisting the Frenchman is better when he is playing simple.
The midfielder, who has been criticised for showboating in the past, scored twice and put in a fine all-round display at Old Trafford as United won for the third straight game under Solskjaer, scoring 12 goals during that run.
Solskjaer was full of praise for Pogba's disciplined performance, having now scored more in two games under the caretaker manager (four) than he did in his previous 20 under Jose Mourinho.
"That is a top, top performance for a midfielder, because it's all-round. It's work-rate, he's dangerous in the box, he wins headers, tackles, and there's no showboating," said Solskjaer.
"It's touch, pass, move. He plays the efficient game, and Paul knows he's at his best when he plays that game. Yeah, there was one flick maybe that he missed halfway through the second half that he knows he could have done better with, but there's not a lot else he could have done."
Asked if he had told Pogba to stop the showboating, Solskjaer said: "No. As I've said with all of the players, we want to see the best of them, we want them to enjoy themselves, express themselves, within the framework of how we want the team to play. All of them have really performed up to the top standards."
Romelu Lukaku was introduced in the second half before scoring a much-needed goal, just his third in 18, and Solskjaer said the Belgian is more comfortable when not being specifically deployed as a target man.
"He's a good target man, but then if you tell him to be a target man he'll never face the goal," added Solskjaer. "Today he was side-on so he could do both, go in behind or come to the ball. He's got the attributes of a top, top striker.
"Obviously we need to work on his fitness because he's had a few days off, but delighted for him, even though he was half a yard offside, but it's still a good finish!"
