Manchester United manager Solskjaer gives Pogba injury update ahead of Champions League clash with Basaksehir

BetOdds Manchester United Manchester United v İstanbul Başakşehir UEFA Champions League Paul Pogba

The Frenchman missed the Red Devils' last game against West Bromwich Albion with a knock he picked up while on international duty

Paul Pogba could be back in contention for Manchester United’s clash against Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday night.

The midfielder missed the win against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday with a knock he picked up on his most recent international fixture with France but trained with his teammates on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League showdown.

Solskjaer said: “We hope he [Pogba] is going to be available, he trained this morning, we will see if there's any reaction when we report tomorrow.”

United will be without Jesse Lingard as Solskjaer revealed the 27-year-old is self-isolating having being in contact with someone who has Covid-19.

The England international will have to sit out the game along with Phil Jones and Luke Shaw who are sidelined with injuries. Shaw picked up a hamstring injury in the 3-1 win against Everton before the international break and is expected to miss a few more games.

“I hope nearer to four weeks,” Solskjaer replied when asked about a timeframe for Shaw’s return. “But with a recurrence of hamstring injuries you can't risk anything and he's not trained with us, we'll see how he reacts to the programme he's on, hopefully four but maybe nearer five or six.”

One player who is in contention to start is Anthony Martial. The Frenchman enjoyed his best goal return last season scoring 23 in all competitions, however he is struggling during the current campaign netting just two goals in eight appearances.

Speaking about Martial’s form Solskjaer said: “I thought he took big strides towards becoming a striker that we know he can be, then again Anthony is no different from other players in that team in that he's not had a pre-season as normal and is working to get ready to his peak form.

"He had a three-game suspension, so he's lost too much football, scored against Basaksehir last time, a good header and we hope that he is going to continue to work hard to get to his best again.

“Now it's time again to make even bigger strides, to develop more. He scored 23, I don’t know, 24 goals last season, which was a big return. Every season is a challenge and you cannot rest on your laurels as a left back, right back or centre forward at Manchester United, there are demands on every position. We want Anthony to kick on.”

2020-11-23 18:00:03

Comments

Send Your Comment

Download Application