Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants Man Utd star Paul Pogba to be main influencer amid Real Madrid transfer interest

AFP/Getty Images/Paul Ellis

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has outlined his plans for Paul Pogba in the face of Real Madrid’s public pursuit of the Manchester United midfielder.

Zinedine Zidane’s open courting of his fellow Frenchman on Saturday will have been heard loud and clear at Old Trafford.

But Solskjaer is determined to build his team around Pogba, who he believes can be the complete midfielder at United.

After a lack-lustre performance in the 2-1 win against Watford, Solskjaer openly discussed a potential role-change for the club’s record signing – and the prospect of asking him to play in a deeper-lying position as he does for World champions France.

Jose Mourinho’s attempts to get Pogba playing in a more disciplined manner were deemed stifling and one of the central issues in the tensions between the two.

But Solskjaer, who has overseen Pogba’s finest form in a United shirt by releasing him from the shackles of Mourinho’s reign, is confident he can develop the 26-year-old’s all-round game.

“We want Paul to be both on and off the ball a good player for us,” said the United manager. “We want him to be influential with the way we play. Sometimes that means up as an eight into the box, sometimes to control the game, drop down deeper.

In Pictures | Man Utd vs Watford | 30/03/19

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“Against Watford he had to drop down to get a hold of the ball. Every single game is going to be different until the end of the season.

“We haven’t really nailed down one way of playing. We’ve got three or four different ways of playing.

“That’s the beauty of Paul that he can do both.”

Pogba claimed during the international break that it would be a dream to play for Zidane at Real – and his fellow countryman had made it clear the admiration is mutual.

“I really like Pogba and you know that,” he said. “I know him very well, he's a different kind of player and he can provide many things because of his skills. He knows how to attack and defend.

The players Real Madrid hope Zidane can lure to the Bernabeu

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“However, he's not my player. He plays for United and we have to respect that. He's always said that he likes Madrid.”

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