Ole has his back against the wall after losing to Liverpool and Manchester City and in this time of crisis, one of his star midfielders Paul Pogba has picked up an injury. The Frenchman is the first injury setback for the club during the international break but there’s a slim chance that Paul Pogba’s injury could actually help save Solskjaer’s job.
Pogba picked up the injury during a training session with the France squad and the latest updates have confirmed that he will miss France’s two matches during the break.
Man United have also acknowledged this and there’s a big chance that the midfielder might not feature again in 2021.
MUFC said in a statement: “Paul suffered a right thigh injury while taking part in a training session on Monday.
“The French Football Federation has confirmed that Pogba will miss both of the country’s upcoming games in this November international break.”
Paul Pogba leaves France's training session after reportedly picking up a thigh injury while taking a shot. pic.twitter.com/hZZ3A5c8kG
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 8, 2021
Paul Pogba’s injury: Good news for Donny van de Beek?
Paul Pogba is obviously a superstar player but Ole has really struggled to use him properly in the side. Initially, he was playing on the right-wing as Rashford was out injured.
Then he had to move back to midfield after Marcus’ return but he’s largely failed to impress in the previous few months.
Up until his red card, the 28-year-old had played in nine Premier League matches, providing seven assists. But out of these seven assists, four had come in a single game vs Leeds United.
But now thanks to Paul Pogba’s injury, Donny van de Beek is expected to move up the pecking order so he finally should see a bit more game time until the January transfer window opens.
In the past few games, Paul Pogba had been coming off the bench to replace either Fred or McTominay but now that he’s injured, Van de Beek should be taking up that role.
And this might be the window of opportunity that Van de Beek needs to win the trust of his manager and finally kick-start his career at Manchester United.
Can Paul Pogba’s injury save Solskjaer’s job?
One of Solskjaer’s big concerns this season has been to trying to find the right role for Paul Pogba. The Frenchman is not a right-winger and he can neither play effectively in a central midfield role.
Every time he’s been paired with Fred or McTominay, United’s midfield has been non-existent. Pogba is someone who refuses to track back and in order to get the best out of him, he has to be given complete freedom to roam around and do whatever his heart desires.
Thankfully, the other midfielders are not so erratic and due to Paul Pogba’s injury, Ole will not have to come up with an excuse to not use him in the first XI.
Players like Donny van de Beek and Nemanja Matic will see more game time and maybe one of these midfielders might eventually help stable the ship at Manchester United and in turn save Solskjaer’s job.
