Man United Can Win Premier League Next Year – Phil Neville: Manchester United can challenge for the Premier League title next year, provided Paul Pogba plays well.
That’s the opinion of former United defender Phil Neville, who believes the French midfielder has been criticized unfairly in the past.
Man United Can Win Premier League Next Year
Pogba is set to return to action for the first time since December last year when the Premier League returns.
Reports suggest Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will leave the Frenchman on the bench for this Friday’s trip to Tottenham, but he is expected to gradually increase his minutes as the campaign progresses.
He has suffered badly from injuries this season and has only featured seven times in the Premier League as a result.
The £89million man is yet to team up with new signing Bruno Fernandes, who will likely be his partner in the centre of midfield, with fans desperate to see the pair in action together.
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Pogba has been criticized in the past for failing to live up to the price United paid for him back in 2016, but Neville believes that criticism has been unwarranted.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, he explained that he feels the Red Devils have failed to properly build a team around him to emphasize his strengths, but that Fernandes could help to alleviate the pressure on him.
He predicted that United will be able to challenge Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table provided he plays well.
Question marks have been raised over whether Pogba and Fernandes can play alongside each other in the same team, but Neville insisted he Solskjaer won’t have any issues in that department.
“I think they can play together,” he said. “I think Pogba has got the ability to play a little bit deeper or a little bit higher, and he can go box-to-box.
“I think they’ve got the players now where Pogba can fit in.
“It’s easy for people to say ‘get rid of Pogba’, but actually, have they built a team around him yet that enables him to perform?
“The criticism he gets… United lose and it’s Pogba’s fault, United win but Pogba doesn’t play well and it’s Pogba’s fault. Maybe now with Fernandes it takes a bit of that pressure away, and you might see an improvement.
Pogba playing well will give Man United a better chance of winning the Premier League.
When I see United playing well with Pogba in the team I think he’s world-class.
He’s won the World Cup, he’s won the European Championships with France [sic], he knows how to win.
“With Pogba in the team playing well, it gives United a good chance of challenging Liverpool and Man City.”