The Frenchman was named on the bench for the visit of Huddersfield.
Paul Pogba has been dropped by Manchester United. The midfielder started United’s defeat to Tottenham midweek but was hooked after 63 minutes. His poor performance has seemingly cost him now as Jose Mourinho has named him on the bench for the visit of Huddersfield to Old Trafford.
Nemanja Matic retains his place in midfield and will start alongside Scott McTominay. Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku also start while Anthony Martial drops to the bench. Following his own goal against Spurs, Phil Jones is not involved, with Marcos Rojo partnering Chris Smalling in defence. Jones is reportedly ill – his omission from the squad is not punishment for his difficult night against Spurs. Ander Herrera is another one missing from Mourinho’s 18-man squad.
#MUFC's starting line-up for #MUNHUD is in… pic.twitter.com/UTYTd83BCT
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 3, 2018
Pogba was widely criticised for his display in United’s defeat to Spurs, with the Frenchman’s positional indiscipline and underwhelming defensive work-rate highlighted in several post-match analyses.
He was also seen engaged in a heated discussion with Mourinho on the touchline before his manager hooked him off after 63 minutes to be replaced by Juan Mata.
His demotion to the bench means it’s an excellent opportunity for 21-year-old McTominay, an academy graduate, to prove his worth in the Premier League. Mourinho taking Pogba, United’s record signing, out of the line-up is a clear message that no player is guaranteed a starting berth. There is still no place in the starting line-up for Marcus Rashford.
Speaking during the build-up to the Huddersfield game, Mourinho refused to explicitly reveal to the BBC why Pogba was not in the line-up, focusing more on how he was giving McTominay an opportunity to prove himself:
“I play Scott McTominay. He arrived here aged nine years old and spent many years in the academy, he has been waiting for an opportunity which I give him now and again, today is another one.”
I suppose you can call that an answer, but it’s certainly not what the interviewer was looking for.
Meanwhile, David De Gea makes his 300th United appearance.
3⃣0⃣0⃣ #MUFC appearances for United's no.1⃣
Congrats, @D_DeGea! #DaveSaves 👐 pic.twitter.com/NCooagOHQW
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 3, 2018
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