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Published 20:29 30 Dec 2018 GMT
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"A top, top performance from a midfielder," was how Solskjaer put it afterwards. "There’s no showboating. It’s touch, pass, move and he plays an efficient game. Paul knows he’s at his best when he plays an efficient game."
Without doubt, Pogba has thrived in the more offensive approach United have adopted since Solskjaer took charge. He is not alone, though. Alongside him, Nemanja Matic, an on-field symbol of the painfully bland, uninspiring Mourinho style for much of the season, appeared vastly improved against Bournemouth, willing to get forward at any opportunity.
Ander Herrera busily zipped about around him, slotting in to provide cover for Victor Lindelöf when he carried the ball out of defence and popping up on the right to provide the cross from which Pogba scored his second. Rashford was also impressive, both on the ball and with his relentless pressing when Bournemouth were in possession.
For all the positives, it's fair to say that this was far from flawless. United's ongoing defensive frailties were laid bare by Aké's consolation goal. The home side were dominant in the first half, yet Bournemouth still managed to eke out a couple of other presentable chances. Solskjaer, however, unlike his predecessor, seems happy to counter this by encouraging his team to try to score more goals, not just by bringing on Marouane Fellaini.
This, though, was not a day to talk about United's defensive inadequacies. There's been plenty of talk about the unshackling of Pogba since United's win at Cardiff, and this display was as good a sign as any that finally, two and-a-half years after returning to Old Trafford, the Frenchman is delivering what he's truly capable of. In taking the shackles off Pogba, Solskjaer may just have helped take the shackles off United.World Cup 2026 prize money: The staggering amount the winners can earn revealed
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