FEEL THE LOVE
Fans can help us keep Pogba, says Solskjaer, as he inspires 5-1 rout
O LEG UN NARSOLSKJA ER believes the adulation from Manchester United fans can persuade Paul Pogba to sign a new contract at Old Trafford.
Pogba was outstanding in yesterday’s 5-1 win over Leeds, making four assists as a jubilant Old Trafford was filled to capacity for the first time in 17 months.
The Frenchman will be a free agent when his current £290,000-aweek deal runs out in June, and so far he has rejected United’s offers of new terms.
Asked if the love from supporters can change Pogba’s mind, Solskjaer replied: ‘The short answer is yes!’
He added: ‘The last 18 months have been strange. The only interaction has been through media.
You’ve watched the games on telly and haven’t had that connection.
‘So to be reunited with the fans again, like Paul and Bruno (Fernandes) today, is important. This is Man United, the real Man United. This is how I sold Man United to Edinson (Cavani), for example. You can’t leave after one season playing with no fans. That’s Man United: fans, players, everyone together.’
Solskjaer was delighted with United’s opening-day performance as they swept aside their old rivals with a hat-trick from Fernandes and other goals from Mason Greenwood and Fred.
‘Paul has got that vision, he has got that quality,’ said the United boss. ‘ I know the headlines will probably be about Bruno or Paul but this is a team effort.
‘I’m very impressed with Paul’s fitness levels as well. He looks fit,
ready to go. I love seeing Paul and Bruno, these guys smiling.
‘Sir Alex Ferguson, the gaffer, always used to say enjoy yourself. Express yourself. You’ve got to enjoy the privilege and the pressure and the responsibility of playing in front of 75,000 fans at Old Trafford and millions watching on TV. But to get to smile, you have to do the hard work.’
Hat-trick hero Fernandes, who in the 75th minute was joined on the pitch by new team-mate Jadon Sancho, also paid tribute to Pogba, who set up two of his three goals before going off in the 75th minute.
‘People talk about the quality of Paul, but his quality is not in discussion,’ said Fernandes. ‘We know what he can do and today he showed that.
‘He’s an important player for us. We know to expect these kind of performances from Paul.
‘We missed the fans. We waited so long, so everyone’s happy for them today.’
Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa was left to reflect on his second four-goal defeat at Old Trafford in the space of eight months following a 6-2 hammering in December.
‘It was difficult for us to recover the ball and to create danger,’ admitted Bielsa. ‘The succession of goals after we equalised we could not react to. They were superior to us clearly.’
Bielsa kept England star Kalvin Phillips on the bench after his Euros exertions, meaning Robin Koch started in midfield.
‘Phillips is a player who always shines [but] I don’t think it’s a question of individualities as to why we couldn’t play a more balanced game,’ he added. ‘Like I said at the start it was difficult for us to take the ball off them and difficult for us to create. I liked how [Koch] played.
‘I thought he was a dynamic player, he was present, he was willing, committed. He made lots of effort and he had presence throughout the game.’
Meanwhile, fans clashed in what police described as ‘isolated incidents’ before the game.
More than 200 officers were on patrol as part of a huge security operation for Old Trafford’s first full house in 17 months and only Leeds’ third visit in 17 years.
There were fears of crowd trouble between two of English football’s biggest rivals and footage emerged on social media before kick-off of fans fighting outside a café. They hurled chairs and bins at each other as police officers wielding batons tried to break up the trouble.
A statement from Greater Manchester Police read: ‘Patrols in the city centre have been made aware of some isolated incidents of disorder at premises in the area.’
A total of six arrests were made following the disturbances in the city beforehand.