Patrick Rees
A new week, a new excitement! Manchester United’s new manager Jose Mourinho has really lift up the Old Trafford spectators with the recent results. For the starters, his side managed to clinch the Community Shield away from the Premier League Champions Leicester City and that followed by some impressive performances against Bournemouth and Southampton.
With six points in two games, the side will be looking add more in tally and this time around, a trip to the KCOM stadium has been scheduled, where the devils will be colliding against the all confident Hull City. Mike Phelan’s men, just like Manchester United, kicked their Premier League showdown in style as they defeated Leicester City and soon after that, an impressive 2-0 victory over Swansea added the icing on their cake.
Manchester United might have been an easy competitor a couple of seasons back for the Tigers, but the arrival of some stellar names into the side has completely changed the course of the campaign for the Reds. Manchester United manager has been dropping the new arrival Henrikh Mkhitaryan for the past couple of games, but this time around, we might see him in the starting lineup, but still, all eyes will be on one of the most expensive players of the sport, Paul Pogba.
The 23-year-old Frenchman has arrived at the club with a great pedigree and with a huge price tag, the expectations are sky high. Last weekend, when he was named in the lineup, the excitement amongst the fans reached the empyrean. The former Juventus midfielder had a cagey start to the game as his first touch almost cost United a goal, but soon after that, the Frenchman gained the momentum and his combination play with his teammates were really good. Pogba was all over the field; he was spotted at the back to cover the spots, while his forward runs were also troubling the Saints at times, and more importantly, his link up play with Ibrahimovic and Martial was something the crowd loved most.
By full-time, Pogba had completed 60 out of 72 passes and pulled off nine out of 14 attempted dribbles. Nobody else on the pitch completed more than three. Defensively, he recorded 14 ball recoveries; twice as many as any teammate. Considering the 23-year-old was not even fully fit, you wonder what else he has in his store.
Manchester United have solely missed a midfield general since the retirement of Paul Scholes. The Ginger Prince was known for his sheer dedication towards the sport and his willingness to play for the club made him what he is today. Besides that, his tireless running on the field and his eagerness to win the ball was eye catching and Paul Pogba, that day, displayed that he could really fill the void left by the legendary English playmaker.
Zlatan may have got the goals, but it is fair to say that Pogba operated the tempo of the game, and to make his performance stat better; he covered 11.2km. Former colleague Ryan Giggs, who left the club this season with Jose Mourinho’s arrival, told Sky Sports:
“I think the biggest compliment I can give him is that I was watching that game and watching Paul Pogba and I wasn’t thinking of £89m. I was just thinking of a player enjoying himself and trying things and expressing himself as the game went on. Yes sometimes things won’t come off, but he’s trying things and he’s releasing himself.
“He was all over the pitch, he wants to get on the ball and it was a brilliant, brilliant performance when you take into consideration he’s only trained for a week, the price tag and he’s still only 23.”
The next fixture, against Hull City, may serve as a simpler one but then again, a full fitness and a full dedication are required in almost every game in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho, before Southampton game, stated that Pogba will not play the full 90 minutes due to the lack of match fitness, but the player proved that manager wrong and went on to mark his debut in style.
Jose Mourinho might face a trouble to choose a perfect holding partner for Pogba against Hull City, but his presence on the field could really turn the tables for the Reds. The 23-year-old can serve the attack and can guard the defence, and overall, he is just a complete package and he will be most crucial figure for the Red Devils against an improved Hull side.
