The Sunday Mail
PAUL POGBA’S opening touch as the world’s most expensive footballer came seconds into the contest. It was a duff pass and handed the ball straight to Southampton and they broke at pace.
Beforehand the Frenchman discussed how his feelings in the first moments of this second Manchester United coming would indicate how he would adapt to the Premier League.
Given the way Pogba responded to this poor start, unfazed appears the answer, as he went on to be pivotal whenever his side moved forward.
Ander Herrera had said the 23-year-old is a total footballer, able to do everything and anything.
After a classic dank wet Mancunian day became a sun-lightened evening Pogba provided evidence throughout.
In one moment he was ghosting into Southampton’s area to ping a shot at Fraser Forster, in another he was inside his own half, raking over a pass to Zlatan Ibrahimovic that turned the visitors.
Suddenly, this is a large United outfit and at 6ft 3in Pogba is one of the tallest, along with the 6ft 4in Marouane Fellaini.
If a Pogba-Fellaini midfield axis may not be the dream pairing of many United fans, the thinking here is obvious.
It brings strength, muscle, and an aerial dominance that Pogba, in particular, displayed.
He returned to Old Trafford calling the place home and having won four consecutive Serie A titles and two Coppa Italias and experienced losing the Champions League final with Juventus and the Euro 2016 final with France .His mission now is to help drive United to a first crown in four seasons, and finally move the club on from the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
The moment of the opening period was Ibrahimovic’s thundering headed goal that gave Forster no chance.
The Swede was aided by Pogba making a clever decoy run that pulled a defender towards him as the ball sailed at the United No 9.
Pogba had dislodged Herrera from the XI that was victorious at Bournemouth last Sunday.
Talking of his more withdrawn position under José Mourinho, the Spaniard said: “I have to do a different role in the team. I have spoken with the manager and we are agreed that I can be an important player and can help the team in that position.
I can win a lot of balls back for the team. My instinct is to try to win the ball back for the team as quickly as possible.” — Guardian (UK)
