Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lauds star midfielder after Frenchman’s goal hands Red Devils vital 1-0 win over Burnley; takes team atop EPL table
Manchester United's Paul Pogba wheels away in celebration after scoring against Burnley on Tuesday. Pic/AFP
Paul Pogba said he is always happy when he is winning after scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory at Burnley that took Manchester United top of the English Premier League for the first time in three years on Tuesday.
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Despite continued speculation over his future, Pogba has played an increasingly important role in recent weeks to aid United’s first serious title challenge since legendary former manager Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men now lead defending champions Liverpool by three points ahead of a top-of-the-table clash between the two most successful sides in English football history at Anfield on Sunday.
‘Long way to go’
“I’m always happy when I win,” said Pogba, who has been consistently linked with a move away from Old Trafford at the end of the season. “I’m happy we are playing well and happy we are at the top, but there is a long way to go and we have big games coming up.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
United have now taken 29 from the last possible 33 points to recover from just two wins in their opening six games of the season. And if Pogba can finally produce consistent displays worthy of the then world record fee United paid for the Frenchman in 2016, there is reason for Solskjaer to believe he can end the club’s eight-year wait for a league title.
“I’ve always said Paul is a big, big player for us,” added Solskjaer. “He is a good character in the dressing room, he is always one the lads look to [because] he’s a world champion. We are seeing the best of Paul at the moment. He’s getting better and better every game.”
The manner of victory against a Burnley side that had not lost at home since October also suggests United have the ability of champions to grind out a result when they need to. The first-half was dominated by controversy over a series of VAR reviews, while United had a goal harshly ruled out for a slight push by Harry Maguire when he powered home a header at the back post.
Visit to Anfield next
The visitors upped the pressure in the second-half and got their reward 19 minutes from time when Pogba’s volley from Marcus Rashford’s cross deflected off Matt Lowton and through the legs of Nick Pope to head to Anfield leading Liverpool. “We couldn’t be going there at a better time to play them,” added Solskjaer. “We are in good shape, good form, hungry, these boys want to get better and that’s a test again.”
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