NO POG.. Love him or loathe him, United are missing the creative talent of their World Cup-winning star
FOR all the noise surrounding Paul Pogba and his future at Manchester United one fact can’t be disputed – his team-mates are missing him.
Whatever your view of the injured World Cup winner his creative talents are a crucial piece of the puzzle for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – for this season at least.
Because love him or loathe him the Frenchman – missing for a seventh successive game with a foot injury – is a class act when his mind is on the job.
And on a windswept, battered south coast how United were crying out for Pogba’s undoubted quality against Bournemouth.
This was exactly the kind of game in which the pedigree of Pogba (below) might have made the difference as United toiled to find a breakthrough despite dominating for long spells in a frenetic second half.
There’s only so often Marcus Rashford will dig you out of a hole with the kind of worldy he scored to down Chelsea in the Carabao Cup.
And after returning from injury himself, Anthony Martial clearly isn’t in the kind of groove just yet to be a killer in front of goal.
Brazilian Andreas Pereira is no Pogba replacement in the hole and nor can Solskjaer continue to rely on young Dan James to provide a spark when United aren’t in freeflowing mood.
Magic
Flying winger James has been a huge hit, an absolute snip at £15million since his arrival from Swansea in the summer.
And again he was United’s best hope of a flash of magic to rescue a four- game unbeaten run after Josh King grabbed the only goal of the game on half-time.
James said farewell after
SUNDAY PEOPEOPLE turn their menace into goals before half-time – and paid the price.
Norwegian striker King, four years at United as a youngster, is one of the Premier League’s under-rated performers and a consistent goal threat.
So it proved again as the 27-year-old scored his 45th goal in 146 League games for the Cherries.
Lesson