Shocking Claim: Manchester United’s biggest problem involves this sensation summer signing
Oct 3, 2016 at 1:12 PM
Finding a solution to Wayne Rooney’s poor form at Manchester United is undoubtedly one of Jose Mourinho’s priorities at the moment.
Three-successive games starting on the bench epitomises the England international’s recent decline, especially so after Mourinho claimed he needs to protect him.
At 30-years-old, the simple fact of the matter is that Rooney shouldn’t need protecting.
However, according to BT Sport pundit Robbie Savage, Mourinho has an even bigger problem on his hands at the Theatre of Dreams.
A problem bigger than having to drop your talismanic captain? Surely not.
In Savage’s opinion (see below), it’s working out who to play alongside Paul Pogba in midfield that’s the most pressing issue for Mourinho.
.@RobbieSavage8 thinks Mourinho still needs to work out who @paulpogba‘s best midfield partner is. #MUNSTK https://t.co/cjOtlycNlO
— BT Sport Football (@btsportfootball) October 2, 2016
Speaking in the build-up to United’s clash with Stoke City on Sunday, he said: “I think the biggest problem he’s got is working out who to partner with Pogba.
“Away from home in the big games, can you play [Ander] Herrera and Pogba? Two players who do like to get forward. I wouldn’t say Herrera is defensively minded.
“I don’t think you can play [Marouane] Fellaini with Pogba at all. Unless it’s the EFL Cup and they’re playing an awful team.
“I don’t think Fellaini’s a central midfield player at all for this football club.
“We’re talking about Manchester United here. I don’t think for a club of this size, you can play Fellaini with Pogba. Herrera away from home maybe not, so I think the problem is, who’s partnering Pogba?”
Mourinho opted to start Herrera and Pogba alongside each other against Stoke, with the latter missing two clear-cut chances in the first half.
The first came 15 minutes in, when Juan Mata, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Jesse Lingard linked up brilliantly to put Pogba through on goal, but he fluffed his lines.
Five minutes later and the Frenchman had another golden opportunity to break the deadlock but couldn’t direct his free header on goal from Daley Blind’s corner.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Paul Pogba. The world’s most expensive player struggled to influence proceedings before seeing a potential match-winning header in the final stages cannon back off the woodwork.
The Frenchman had fewer touches than centre-back Eric Bailly (58), with his 56 involvements almost half the total number he had against Southampton (107) on his first Premier League appearance this season.
Pogba did come up with four key passes and should have recorded an assist when he played through Ibrahimovic early on, but there’s no question, the big-money buy isn’t having the instant impact many expected he would at Old Trafford.
While his positional play occasionally left midfield partner Ander Herrera exposed, Pogba repeatedly tried his luck from range – four speculative efforts from outside the box against Stoke – but he remains on one Premier League goal this term. From 19 efforts, he has one of the worst conversion rates in the division. Mourinho needs to find a way to get more from him.