Harry Diamond
Roy Keane says Paul Pogba does not want ‘to be a leader’ and believes the midfielder will be enjoying life at Manchester United more following the arrivals of Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.
Pogba has impressed since making his long-awaited return from injury following the Premier League’s restart, thriving in a Manchester United side playing with confidence after registering a 17-game unbeaten run either side of the season’s suspension.
The France international – who has been linked with signing a new deal in recent days – scored his first of the season during the club’s 3-0 win at Aston Villa on Thursday night, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side boosting their hopes of a top-four finish after becoming the first side in Premier League history to win four consecutive games by a three-goal margin.
Keane assessed Pogba’s recent performances and believes the 27-year-old is benefitting from the arrival of characters such as Maguire and Fernandes in the side, suggesting the midfielder is playing with more freedom amid lesser responsibility – while managing to take a little dig at his social media activities.
“What I would say about Pogba, we’ve been saying for the last year or two that he needs to take more of a lead with the team,” Keane said on Sky Sports.
“I don’t think he wants to be a leader. I think he’ll enjoy that Harry Maguire has come into the club, showing different leadership skills.
“And obviously Fernandes, leadership skills on the pitch. And I think Pogba likes that. I don’t think he necessarily wants to be the main guy. He probably wants to be the main guy on the social media side of things, but on the pitch he’s thinking, ‘I’m glad of that, I’ll just be under that radar’.
“We’ve always said he’s got that quality, and I think he never really wanted to be that leader at Man United. He doesn’t have to be now because he’s got a couple of other lads around him and he looks like he’s enjoying himself a bit more.”
United’s win leaves them just one point behind the top four places with four games remaining, the last of which is against fourth-placed Leicester.
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