Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘Team revolving around Pogba’
JOSE Mourinho feels Manchester United are morphing into a team that suit Paul Pogba’s strengths after the Frenchman’s personal unbeaten record was extended to 35 Premier League matches.
United’s record signing was instrumental in Monday night’s 3-0 victory over Stoke, laying on goals for A n t o n i o Va l e n c i a a n d Anthony Martial in the first half with clever passes on each occasion.
Midfielder Pogba, who is now joint-top of the Premier League assist charts with Manchester City pair Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane having set up nine goals, was absent for each of United’s three top-flight defeats to Huddersfield, Chelsea and City t his season.
Pogba has not been on the losing side in a topflight fixture since United were thumped 4-0 by Chelsea in October 2016, and Mourinho thinks the former Juventus man i s relishing playing in a team that is increasingly revolving around him.
“He was moving the ball f a n t a s t i c a l l y w e l l ,” Mourinho said.
“With long passes, changing of direction, creating problems to the opponent in relation to their midfield block. Assists. If he scores the free-kick with the last shot of the game it would be really a reward for him.
“I think he’s happy, he’s happy the way the team is playing — very adapted to him. He’s happy because the team is changing the profile and the profile is going more in his direction.”
Pogba took the club’s Man-of-the-Match accolade on Monday having ran the game against a struggling Stoke side who have now shipped 50 goals in 23 topflight games.
New boss Paul Lambert watched from the Old Trafford stands ahead of taking over a team in the bottom three yesterday.