Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed Bruno Fernandes’ risk-taking and explained how he gave Paul Pogba the freedom to inspire Manchester United to a 5-1 opening-day demolition of Leeds United.
Fernandes scored his first United hat-trick, the 10th opening-day treble in Premier League history, while Pogba laid on four assists to kick-start their challenge to dethrone Manchester City in style.
Pogba is the seventh player to assist four goals in the same Premier League game, his performance serving as an emphatic demonstration of his quality amid speculation over his future with the France star’s contract set to expire at the end of the season.
On Saturday’s evidence, Fernandes and Pogba can successfully spearhead United’s quest for their first Premier League title since 2013, with Solskjaer heaping praise on both.
“He’s a risk-taker, he’s a Man United player. When you’re a forward at Man United, you need to have confidence, a little bit of arrogance and take risks,” Solskjaer told BT Sport of Fernandes.
Explaining Pogba’s role, Solskjaer said: “I’ve had a great relationship with Paul since he was a kid. Today was just about ‘go out there enjoy yourself’ because he had 45 minutes against Everton [in pre-season] that were not his best, but today we just gave him the freedom of roaming wherever you want to go and get on the ball.
Appreciation post.
What a performance, @PaulPogba #MUFC | #MUNLEE pic.twitter.com/v4J0ZnGLEs
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 14, 2021
“All the best players would want to feel our trust in them and confidence, and Paul is one of them who can create moments out of nothing. I was impressed by his fitness, so that’s a good sign.”
Jadon Sancho came off the bench to make his debut, while United confirmed the signing of former Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane before kick-off, Pogba’s France team-mate receiving a rousing reception as he was introduced to the fans.
“There’s eight or nine players that aren’t here today, you’ve got a bench with quality, we’ve done well in the summer window, Raphael coming in today as well, which I think gave the crowd a boost and the players, so you’re excited of course,” said Solskjaer of United’s depth.
“There’s always a next game, this is one, great start. This is the way I want to see my team play, it’s not just because it’s Leeds, but I want to see them running, going forward, taking risks and we looked fit and some of these players haven’t played more than 45 minutes before today.”
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