Solskjaer explains decision to start Fred and McTominay over Pogba for Man Utd-PSG clash | OneFootball

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has explained his decision to start with Fred and Scott McTominay while Paul Pogba only made the bench in last night’s Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

The Red Devils got their game plan right with a superb result at the Parc des Princes, with goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford giving Solskjaer’s side the 2-1 win.

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Pogba came off the bench and looked good when he did eventually make an appearance, but it’s notable that such a big name didn’t make the starting XI to begin with.

Solskjaer has defended this big call, however, with the Norwegian tactician quoted by the Metro as brushing the question aside and focusing on the qualities of Fred and McTominay.

“They’re in good form now, they’re good players and they played really well against Newcastle,” Solskjaer said.

“They laid the foundations for the win in that game, and I think they laid the foundation today as well.”

He added: “Maybe at 1-1 in the middle of the second half we started to be more confident, played [more football]. I think Paul Pogba came on and did really well for us and we created chances.”

United fans will be pleased to see that they have such strength in depth in midfield, with Fred and McTominay showing themselves to be unsung heroes in this MUFC squad.