Manchester United: Paul Pogba’s love of football has never faded, says Rio Ferdinand

Ferdinand believes Pogba still has to win Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s trust in the centre of the pitch

(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may not be fully convinced Paul Pogba can hold down the central midfield role but his recent performances prove that when the Frenchman is in form there are few better, former defender Rio Ferdinand said.

Pogba scored with a blistering left-foot shot as United defeated Fulham 2-1 on Wednesday to return to the top of the Premier League table. He also scored the winner against Burnley last week.

“What I’m seeing at the moment, I feel that Ole doesn’t completely trust him in the centre of midfield against the bigger teams,” Ferdinand explained. "When the ball gets turned over and the other teams are breaking with the likes of [Sadio] Mane and [Mohamed] Salah, and the efficiency with how they finish - you’re not going to have time to get back, the game’s over.

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“So, he plays him out of those areas and takes some of the responsibility away from him. In this game, he feels like they’re going to dominate possession and have more chances to create things and they aren’t going to be punished as much in these games. When he’s in this form, he’s one of the best.”

Paul Pogba has been in terrific form since the turn of the year (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Ferdinand said Pogba's ego would have "taken a battering" as playmaker Bruno Fernandes took the plaudits, while he was struggling for regular first-team opportunities earlier in the season.

“He would’ve been jealous, his ego would’ve taken a battering, his pride would’ve been hurt,” Ferdinand told BT Sport. “I speak to him a fair bit on the phone and one thing that doesn’t change is that he loves football. He wants to win, he loves the game and he wants to showcase his talents. He’s been given the opportunity to do that now and you’re seeing what he can do.

“I saw Paul Pogba growing up, I saw him in training every day and I saw his talents first hand. I think he’s capable of playing in central midfield, you give him a job to do, tell him what the remit is, and he’ll go and do it.

“If he’s got the platform, the players around him that allow him to thrive there, he can do it. He’s an absolutely massive talent, great footballer, he hasn’t been as consistent as he would’ve liked, as the United fans would’ve liked over the years, but right now, United are top and he’s one of the most important players.”

Reuters