Paul Pogba 'set to be benched' for Man Utd's PL return against Tottenham

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reportedly set to start Paul Pogba on the substitutes bench against Tottenham on Friday - meaning his potential partnership with Bruno Fernandes in midfield will have to wait.

Pogba has not played Boxing Day and has featured just twice since September due to a number of ankle issues, but the French World Cup winner is now fully fit after the three-month break of football due to the coronavirus crisis.

And after Bruno hit the ground running following his £68m move from Sporting Lisbon in January, many United fans are excited to see their two star midfielders pair up - but that won't be the partnership from the beginning on Friday, according to The Athletic.



Pogba is understood to have 'trained well since lockdown began' but nonetheless, United are said to be working on a starting XI without the 27-year-old.

Instead, Solskjaer could turn to 2019-20 starting XI regular Fred, as well as Scott McTominay or Nemanja Matic in the centre of the park to play alongside playmaker Fernandes.



United return with a crucial match against top-four rivals Tottenham and former manager Jose Mourinho.

Solskjaer's side are currently fifth in the table, three points behind Chelsea in fourth.

However, Tottenham can go within a point of United with a win on Friday night, and themselves have key players Harry Kane and Heung min-Son fully fit again.