Ralf Rangnick reveals his ideal position for Paul Pogba at Manchester United
Ralf Rangnick has chipped in on the position in which Paul Pogba will play under him for Manchester United. The central midfielder has returned to be in contention for the match against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup fourth round, which will be his first under the interim coach after being on the sidelines for a long time.
The 28-year-old had endured a thigh injury when he was out on international duty back in November. The German boss has revealed that he would feature in the game later today, which comes as a massive boost for Man United.
Speaking in an interview with Stewart Gardner of the club’s media (h/t Manchester United official website), Rangnick has conveyed that he sees Pogba as a central midfielder rather than a winger, even if he can play on the wide areas. The coach added that he needs to see the player more frequently to get an accurate idea but mentioned that playing in the number 8 role would be ideal at this point.
“What I’ve seen so far, with regard to his physique, his physical presence, the technical assets he has, I think his best position is a central midfield position. I don’t see him that much as a winger. I see his best possible position as central midfield, if it’s a no.6 or an 8, I have to see. If you ask me right now, probably the no.8 position.”
Sign of things to come?
The Frenchman used to play on the flank in the 4-2-3-1 system utilised by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. While he used to start in that role on paper, Pogba usually would move infield to get more involved in the build-up with Luke Shaw overlapping and providing the width. Following the update from the 63-year-old manager, we could see him play as a controller in the midfield.
The Red Devils boss has changed the formation to 4-3-3 in the last few games which makes way for a third central midfielder in the system. With his recent revelations about the Man United star, we could see Pogba start centrally when we face off against Boro later today in the FA Cup.
Solskjaer used the France international in midfield, but his versatility and skillset were perhaps the reason he was shifted out wide. Fred and Scott McTominay were occupying the double pivot in midfield and it is safe to say that they aren’t as well suited to play on the wings as Pogba is.
The ex-Juventus man has never really lived up to expectations during his time at Old Trafford. Make no mistake, Pogba remains one of the best midfielders in the league, but he is yet to make himself United’s main man in midfield and has arguably failed to live up to the promise he showed when playing for the Old Lady.
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The FA Cup gives us a chance to extinguish our title drought, whereas finishing in the top four places in the Premier League would help us achieve Champions League qualification for next term. Pogba would be a great asset for us if his quality can be utilised to the fullest in the coming months.
It will certainly be interesting to see how Pogba fares under another new manager- who could well be his last at Man United with his contract fast expiring.
