Neville: Pogba will be key for Man United vs Liverpool

MANCHESTER United great Gary Neville has backed Paul Pogba to have an influence for the club when they face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday evening.

Neville, who won multiple Premier League and Champions League titles with United and was a member of the famous ‘class of ’92’, a group of academy graduates who went on to great success under Sir Alex Ferguson, has been a harsh critic of Pogba in recent times.

However Neville, who works as a pundit on Sky Sports, is pleased with the Frenchman’s recent turnaround in form.

“I know he played in midfield on Tuesday night but in the last couple of weeks there is no doubt that Pogba is starting to have an influence on matches to the equal level of Fernandes, he’s starting to look like the player that Paul Pogba can be,” Neville told the Manchester Evening News on the eve of the top-of-the-table clash.

“And they have Paul Pogba until the end of the season and [that’s] the right time to review. Paul Pogba playing like he has done these last three weeks… he keeps heading it clear from his own box. Every time Manchester United clear one in their own box from a set-piece I would say more often than not it’s Paul Pogba that’s doing it.”

Pogba started United’s last three matches after being in and out of the starting team for several weeks.

Neville believes his discipline has improved.

“He’s contributing in terms of the final third now. He’s looking like he’s simplified his game and showing more discipline,” the former Valencia manager noted.

“He showed a lot of discipline at Burnley. He looks like he’s switched on and I think he’s got the bit between his teeth and he sees where Manchester United are in the league and he thinks, ‘this isn’t a bad bunch of players that I’m now playing with’.

“They’re obviously more confident. He might be thinking that the glass is half full at United at this moment in time and he’s certainly starting to have a growing influence in the last few weeks. It’s definitely his best performances of the season in the last few weeks and I think at Anfield he will be important because it’s a tough place to go and he’ll have to take the ball and he’ll take the ball to Alexander-Arnold in that right channel and he’ll give him different types of problems from what a normal winger would do.”

Neville gives United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer credit for sticking with Pogba despite the midfielder’s agent criticising the club for not handling his client right.

“I must admit, the way we handled the Pogba situation with Raiola a few weeks ago was emotion because we see it from the outside,” Neville added.

“The way Ole handled the Raiola comments was masterful, really. He knew he was going to have him at least until the end of the season, he’s poured cold water over it and he’s now got him performing and proven to have handled that situation really well.

“So I would say Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deserves real credit for how he’s dealt with Paul Pogba in the last couple of months. It could have easily blown up, going out of Europe and his agent making those comments, but he handled it brilliantly and his man-management of that situation incredibly well.

“It was interesting listening to Micah Richards a couple of weeks ago about how he (Pogba) needs the love. Paul Pogba does feel like he should be playing in the best team in Europe, I think he genuinely believes that, he believes he should be competing for the best trophies, he’s confident in his own ability.

“And I think the reason you’ve seen him step up in the last couple of weeks is, obviously, the team’s playing better, I think they are a little bit more in sync with each other. He’s playing alongside some seriously good players there: Cavani, Martial, Rashford, Greenwood, Fernandes are really good players; any team in the country, they’re decent players.”

The former England assistant manager believes the freer role Pogba has been given has contributed to his resurgence in form.

He explains: “And then I actually think, you look at [Darren] Fletcher’s role at Manchester United – that’s McTominay. That’s what McTominay’s now doing for Manchester United. So [Pogba has] got people behind him like Fred and McTominay and Matic who are doing all of that groundwork, the ugly work, and it’s giving them protection in front of Maguire and Bailly or Lindelof, and that four is providing a really good, sound foundation for the rest of the team.

“Pogba is playing in a team that is growing in confidence, he’s growing in confidence, the maturity in his performances is growing in the last few weeks. I’m not sure it would be down to Darren, he’s only been there two or three weeks, I think it has been growing for three or four weeks, I don’t think that impact would be that instant.”

Manchester United are on top of the table with 36 points from 17 matches, three points better off than Liverpool.

The last time England’s two most successful clubs (Umited have 20 top flight titles, Liverpool 19) battled each other for the league title was in 2008/2009 when the Red Devils won.