Paul Pogba is enjoying watching Bruno Fernandes at Manchester United and claims the Red Devils remain “the biggest club in England”.
The arrival of another playmaking midfielder in the January transfer window threw down the gauntlet to the World Cup winner at Old Trafford.
With Fernandes hitting the ground running, questions were asked of whether Pogba could raise his game when fully fit and form a devastating partnership with the Portugal international.
The early signs have been encouraging, with United stretching their unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has admitted to being hopeful when it comes to thrashing out fresh terms with Pogba, bringing the endless speculation regarding his future to a close, and the 27-year-old feeling good again about his game.
The mercurial Frenchman has told United Review: “From behind I just enjoy it. I’m enjoying just watching Bruno, [Marcus] Rashford, [Anthony] Martial and Mason [Greenwood], who all played the last game [a 5-2 win over Bournemouth], and seeing them score goals. You just keep applauding, it’s beautiful… they make me enjoy football every time!
“As well though there is the defensive work that people don’t talk about – they do it. The pressing – they do it… that’s what you maybe don’t see that much. Football fans who know football see that and that’s the difference that we have and it’s great to see them at their best.
“I think it’s about the mentality – the attacking and defending that they do every time – that helps us, it helps the midfielders and the defenders and obviously the talent speaks for itself – the goals and the action and the football, everything.”
United remain in the hunt for a top-four finish this season, along with FA Cup and Europa League glory.
Hitting all of those targets would make the 2019-20 campaign a productive one, despite the many challenges that have been faced, but there remains a desire on the part of all concerned at the Theatre of Dreams to come back into contention for the most prestigious of prizes.
Pogba believes the Red Devils are capable of doing that, saying of the 13-time Premier League champions: “To become a top, top team we just need to forget about the last game. We do it, we play well, we do great but then we forget about it and we think about the next one.
“We have to always keep having the goal to improve ourselves and never get satisfied with what we did.
“For example, Martial scored three goals [against Sheffield United], his first hat-trick, then he goes again, you have to carry on… he wants to take another ball home, you know! You have to have this mentality, score a goal and do it again and again.
“Bruno, Rashy, Mason… hey if you got two goals, great, but go for three, why not. You have to keep this mentality, keep a clean sheet too, we want to keep working on this and we have the mentality to do it.
“That’s also the mentality of this club, it’s always been like that. We’re never satisfied with one trophy or one game we win or two games or 10 games, you want more, you always want more. That’s what makes Manchester United the biggest club, for me, in England.”