PAUL POGBA and Bruno Fernandes both scored in a training game on Saturday — and are already striking up a great friendship.
Manchester United fans should be licking their lips — and future opponents biting theirs — because the pair can be a dynamic duo.
Ex-United boss Jose Mourinho is set to become the first manager to face not one, but TWO, playmakers when Tottenham host them in 11 days’ time.
Playing with Fernandes will add so much to Pogba’s game.
Fernandes has done brilliantly as a No 10 and having freedom to drift around.
Since arriving from Sporting Lisbon, he has thrived with time on the ball, thanks to pacy Anthony Martial and Dan James stretching the game.
That will only increase with the return of Marcus Rashford.
The beauty of pairing Pogba and Fernandes is United’s attack will leave opponents with a dilemma about which one to try to stop.
And rivals are going to drop deep to cut out space in behind.
If the back four drop, the opposition midfield has to as well, to close the gap between defence and midfield.
That will allow Fernandes to operate in that pocket between. But if Pogba is used as a deeper-lying playmaker, how do you stop him, too?
Because in trying to thwart Fernandes, the opposition will be giving more space to Pogba.
When United only had one playmaker in Pogba, if you stifled him, you starved Rashford, Martial and James.
The beauty of having two is you can adjust, depending on the opposition.
And there is no reason why Fernandes and Pogba cannot swap roles.
Pogba gets plenty of flak but people forget that at Juventus he had Andrea Pirlo around him.
Last season in the Prem, the Frenchman was United’s top scorer with 13 and had the most assists — nine.
With Fernandes now also in the team, a lot of the pressure will be off Pogba and just watch him flourish.
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By: Joe Miles
Title: In Pogba and Fernandes Man Utd have TWO world-class playmakers… Prem rivals face dilemma over which one to stop
Sourced From: www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/11805350/pogba-fernandes-man-utd-playmakers-higginbotham/
Published Date: Sun, 07 Jun 2020 19:30:07 +0000
