SOUTHAMPTON MANCHESTER UNITED United’s hopes go VEST Jannick equalises and Solskjaer admits: We
OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER refused to put the blame on Paul Pogba after Manchester United threw away victory here on the south coast.
Despite scoring a potential winner through Daniel James, United failed to kill the game off and suffered as Saints staged a second-half recovery.
Solskjaer said: “As a team, after about half an hour, we started giving sloppy balls away.
“Paul was one of them, but he wasn’t any different to anyone else. We didn’t play well.
“Everyone expects everything from him every game. He has to defend, he has to attack, he has to win headers, he has to win tackles, he has to dribble past people, he has to make passes.
“That’s just Paul – and he’ll thrive on that.”
Solskjaer then revealed Pogba had played through the pain barrier in the final stages against the Saints after suffering an ankle i njury. The United boss confirmed: “He got a bad knock on it and twisted it, but he’ll will go away on international duty.
“Hopefully, it’s not too bad and he can play for France.”
Solskjaer also ruled out Pogba heading to Real Madrid in the next 24 hours after Real boss Zinedine Zidane suggested anything could still happen before the European window closes tomorrow.
“He’s happy here,” Solskjaer insisted.
Pogba scarcely looked full of the joys of life as he delivered one of those dodgy displays that have become his trademark during his second spell at United.
The ex-juventus playmaker had a shocker – losing possession on numerous occasions and rarely bothering to chase back.
But for James’ third goal in four games, the visitors might well have suffered their first defeat at Southampton in 16 years.
The 21-year-old curled in a beauty at home to Crystal Palace – only to end up a loser. And it was almost a case of deja vu yesterday as he unleashed another cracker. The 10th-minute peach should have made it comfortable for United – but it did nothing of the sort.
With Pogba having a nightmare and Marcus Rashford misfiring, United gradually faded – and have now gone eight games on the road without a win.
Clearly, that is not the return expected from a club who have spent hundreds of millions in an attempt revive former glories. Solskjaer, thoug though, preferred to focus on his Welsh wizard James, a £15 £15million cap capture from Sw Swansea in t the summer.
He said: “I am so d elighted for Dan and with his strike s again. He’s H had a fantastic fa impact imp since he