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Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is set to return for their Premier League visit to Arsenal on New Year’s Day after sitting out Saturday’s 2-0 win over Burnley as a precaution, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said.
The France international returned from a long injury layoff as a substitute in a 2-0 defeat at Watford on Dec. 22 and played 45 minutes in the 4-1 win over Newcastle United on Boxing Day.
Pogba felt pain in his ankle after the Newcastle game but Solskjaer said the 26-year-old would be ready for Arsenal.
“He’s been out for a long while and he didn’t feel right,” Solskjaer told reporters. “When you’ve been out for such a while it’s always going to take time until you’re 100%.
“He wasn’t ready (to face Burnley) because he’s not really done too many games and he’s had two in a few days and he just needed another day’s recovery.”
Pogba has been repeatedly linked in the media with a move away from United but his agent Mino Raiola told Sky Sports on Monday that the midfielder would be staying at Old Trafford.
“Paul has always respected Manchester United just as Manchester United has also always respected Paul. And the only one that talks for Manchester United and for Paul is Ole...
“I go by what he (Solskjaer) says. He (Pogba) will not move, and that’s OK. We are good with them.
“As long as Paul is at Manchester United he wants to win trophies... he wants to give it 100 percent.
“Paul is struggling a little bit with his injury that we tried to resolve and I think that’s our main interest now.”
United midfielder Scott McTominay damaged knee ligaments in the win over Newcastle and Solskjaer said the 23-year-old could be out of action for about a month.
“I wouldn’t expect him to be back within a few weeks,” the Norwegian added. “I don’t know if it’s three or four weeks ... We’ve just got to find a way through it.”
United’s win over Burnley lifted them to fifth in the table, while Arsenal dropped to 12th after losing to Chelsea on Sunday.
There will be no let up from Liverpool, says Lallana
Premier League leaders Liverpool are determined not to let complacency creep into the hunt for their first domestic league title in 30 years, midfielder Adam Lallana has said.
The Merseyside club are on 55 points with 19 games left to play, 13 points clear of second-placed Leicester City and 14 ahead of defending champions Manchester City, who have both played a game more.
Liverpool became only the third team to go unbeaten in 50 consecutive home games in the English top flight when they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 on Sunday and Lallana said it would be more of the same in 2020.
"We want to maintain that form going into the New Year and keep Anfield a fortress," Lallana told the club's website here "We can't take our foot off the gas."
Most pundits already regard Liverpool as champions-in-waiting, while Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero said this week it would be too hard to claw back the deficit.
But Lallana says the team are not looking too far ahead and are fully focused on Thursday’s league match against Sheffield United and Sunday’s FA Cup tie against Everton.
“We’ve got a couple of huge games at home in the next week – Sheffield United, who have had a fantastic season, and then the derby in the Cup,” he said.
Midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri missed the Wolves game with a hamstring problem and manager Juergen Klopp said the Swiss international could be out for about 10 days.
“Shaqiri should have started but ... he felt a little bit the hamstring,” Klopp said. “Now he’s out, not for long but maybe a week or 10 days.”
