Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes has urged Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to play Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes together in midfield.
Solskjaer has often opted to start two holding midfielders this season, with Nemanja Matic lining up alongside Fred in United’s 2-0 Europa League win over Granada on Thursday.
Both Pogba and Fernandes also started, with Pogba out wide on the left and Fernandes in the number 10 role.
However, Scholes believes Pogba should drop back into central midfield, claiming it will allow the Frenchman to link up more effectively with Fernandes.
Speaking to BT Sport after United’s win over Granada, Scholes said: “Solskjaer likes the two sitting players. I don’t think there’s a need for both of them.
“They need to get Pogba in a linking role with Bruno. If they do, it frees up another position for a forward player.
“The awareness and cleverness they both have allows each other to link up.
“United’s two cleverest players are Fernandes and Pogba so if you can get them close together, they’ll score a lot and provide goals for others too.
(Image: REUTERS)
“If they have a more dominant centre back, they could have a more attacking midfield.
“A lot of the time, United that attacking, flowing play, I think Pogba could bring that with Fernandes. If you get him in there, it frees up the left for Rashford, there’s no way you’d want to play against that.
“Discipline-wise Pogba isn’t always there at times but going forward he brings something different.”
Pogba recently said it was “a joy” to play alongside Fernandes, telling MUTV : “I enjoy playing with Bruno. He’s someone who understands the game and understands the movement that can give you a beautiful pass, he can finish too.
“He’s all over the place, he can do everything really… except defending! But really, it’s always a joy to play him, to understand him.
“He understands me as well, he can take my position, I can take his position as well. I think he suits the team, he’s a very dominant influence in our team.”
