WE’RE BACK! HANDS OFF

POGBA SAYS PLAYERS MUST FIND NEW WAY TO CELEBRATE GOALS AMID COVID FEARS

Paul Pogba has urged footballers to find different ways to celebrate amid fears the Premier League may be put on hold during lockdown.

Officials have introduced tougher rules this week, and are keen for players to avoid hugging after goals in an attempt to minimise the spread of Covid-19.

United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he ‘understands’ the reasoning behind the new protocols, while City boss Pep Guardiola defended his players after their celebrations during the 1-0 win over Brighton on Wednesday, saying: “Sometimes the brain is a sub-conscious one and you are just there in the moment, you are not thinking.”

Pogba, who was mobbed by team-mates after his winner against Burnley on Tuesday night, said: “You find another way, you find another way to celebrate, to be happy.

“But the most important thing is the result. Obviously there are rules and we have to respect that for the safety of everyone.”

The French midfielder, who contracted Covid during pre-season, added: “I did have it but that was when I was at home. That’s not the problem, as long as everyone is safe, that is the most important thing.”

Solskjaer, whose table-topping side head to Liverpool for an emotionally charged clash at Anfield on Sunday, has pledged that United’s players will try to observes the new guidelines as much as possible.

“It’s an emotional game, football, but we have to understand the players when they celebrate,” Solskjaer said. “But we also understand the concern nowadays for a bit of less emotion and less hugging.

“But it’s difficult, I have to say. Football brings out the best and the worst in you. When you score you want to celebrate with your teammates. We’ll do our best to keep within the guidelines because we all want football to carry on safely.”