Manchester United legend-turned-pundit Gary Neville feels the Red Devils missed the services of Paul Pogba during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Jose Mourinho opted for the cautious approach against the hosts with Henrikh Mkhitaryan dropping at times to form a three-man midfield alongside Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera.
Despite United’s best efforts, Chelsea found the breakthrough in the second-half after Alvaro Morata scored with a perfectly-timed header following a pin-point cross from Cesar Azpilicueta.
Following the match, Neville highlighted that United lacked the ‘arrogance’ of a Paul Pogba, who would have provided a commanding performance in the centre of the park.
“Pogba is a big miss for his arrogance and confidence,” Neville told Sky Sports after the game. “He holds the ball, he beats a man, he’s composed.”
Neville; “Pogba is a big miss for his arrogance and confidence. He holds the ball, he beats a man, he’s composed.” #mufc
— United Xtra (@utdxtra) November 5, 2017
The 24-year-old made an excellent start to the campaign with two goals and two assists in just four Premier League games. However, a hamstring injury in mid-September has kept him out of first-team action, and this has coincided with the lean form of forward duo Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Romelu Lukaku.
Pogba had driven the attention of opposition defenders which allowed the likes of Mkhitaryan and Lukaku to capitalise and United will be hoping for a similar influence when he makes his injury comeback after the international break.
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