POGBA’S GUNNAR STAY PUT

Solskjaer confident contract rebel won’t quit OT

OLE GUNNAR SOLKSJAER expects Paul Pogba to still be a Manchester United player when the transfer window shuts.

The midfielder has been regularly linked with a departure this summer as clubs across Europe eye a possible cut-price swoop for a player in the final year of his contract.

Earlier this week, Paris Saintgermain manager Mauricio Pochettino refused to rule out a potential move for the World Cup winner before the deadline.

But, when asked if he is confident of retaining Pogba, United boss Solskjaer replied: “Yes, I expect him to be here when September 1 comes.”

Even in the event that Pogba stays put this summer, the possibility of him departing on a free transfer come the end of the season looms large.

If you’ve got

a five-year contract, a one-year

contract, when you sign for United you rise

to the challenge of performing on a consistent

level

However, Solskjaer has no doubts that the 28-year-old will continue to give his all for the team, even should he refuse to commit his future.

Challenge

He continued: “That’s the challenge for everyone – that you play to a high standard every weekend when you’re a Manchester United player.

“If you’ve got a five-year contract, a one-year contract, when you sign for Man United you have to rise to the challenge of performing on a consistent level.

“I’m not worried whatsoever that the length of any player’s contract is changing the level of their motivation and inspiration. You want to play well for your team, your team-mates, yourself, your family, every time you play. We can’t expect Bruno to score a hat-trick every time, of course we can’t, we can’t score five goals every game that’s not how the world works.

“What I expect is that the attitude and the approach to every game is the right one. That we have the same focus, the right focus, the right professionalism and, with that, I have no worries about Paul whatsoever. “

Pogba certainly could not accuse United of lacking ambition after a summer that has seen Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane added to a squad already packed with talent.

But Solskjaer accepts that winning silverware is the best way to keep hold of your star men and wants to see his squad finally achieve that aim this season.

He added: “I’m very happy with the squad, the signings we’ve made.

Responsibility

“As a footballer, when you look around and you see good footballers next to you that puts another layer of responsibility on yourself and your own performances.

“You have to play well to be in the team, you have to play well to be successful in this team. For me, to make players stay at Man United, when you see a good squad and get good results that helps and we want to win things. There was no better place to be when I was a player because we kept on winning. I want to take this team to the next level, we want to start winning trophies, but that requires consistency.

“We’ve played one game and people are talking about us winning the league. We’ve cut the deficit to the winning team last season by quite a few points but we still have to take another step or two into the next level.”