After close to four months without football activities, the Premier League is finally back. It doesn’t get much bigger in the race for a top-four position, than the Red Devil’s away trip to North London.

Manchester United come up against Jose Mourinho’s charges and will be looking to earn maximum points to keep their top-four finish dreams alive.

Before the unforeseen break due to the corona pandemic, the spirits at Carrington training ground were high. United was in good form, playing themselves into contention for a Champions League place. 

Scott Mc Tominay, Fred, and Nemanja Matic had been putting in excellent shifts in the midfield before the break. 

So, could it be that Paul Pogba would have to do with a spot on the bench for the next few starting Manchester United premier league matches?

Pogba arrived back to Manchester with much fanfare and craze. He’d   a sterling performance in Turin, blossoming under Andrea Pirlo, one of the finest midfielders to have ever graced the game. 

Inconsistent Performance

The World Cup winner had a solid first season, helping the club clinch the Europa League and the EFL Cup. 

He’s however blown hot and cold since then, with injuries restricting him to countable games. He had just eight appearances in all competitions in the 2019/2020 campaign. 

The injured-plagued attacking midfielder hasn’t featured for United since Boxing Day and has been heavily linked with a move to Santiago Bernabeu 

Transfer Speculation

There are reports the French midfielder might completely sit out in their game against Tottenham. That should raise eyebrows given that Pogba is fully fit, and was captured having some exciting link-up play with Bruno during United’s closed-door friendly against West Bromwich Albion. 

Solskjaer might just want to stick to his team that has helped him throughout the season. Or maybe still, Pogba might not just be in the right frame to take to the pitch following his transfer saga.

But it coud be more than that.

The French midfielder clashed with Mourinho during the Spaniard’s stint as United’s boss. The infamous spat in front of Sky Sports cameras on their training ground is just an example of how strained their relationship had become. 

Maybe this could be a reason as to why Ole Gunnar has decided to bench him.

Nonetheless, links to Real Madrid have adversely affected his performance, with Pogba looking a pale shadow of the exciting and promising £89m player he was at the time of his transfer. 

Meanwhile, Paul Scholes believes Pogba will still be around and isn’t making a move any time soon. 

He’s got a former player’s backing

While he admits Paul will not walk directly into the team, he believes the former Juventus sensation has all the qualities to get Manchester United to the top level.

“Paul has got a little bit of work to do to get into the team,” he told the Daily Mirror 

“It’s not going to be straightforward for Paul. He will need to put more to get back into the team.”

“But we all know what Paul is capable of. He’s a top player when he’s on form. The better players you play with, surely that can only be to the benefit of the team.”

We all know he’s wanted to leave. Whether he’s now settled, or still open to playing under Zidane, Paul hasn’t had the best of playing times at United. 

And just maybe, it’s time to blossom in a new environment.