French international, Paul Pogba could be seen shouting instructions and waving his arms at his teammate
Paul Pogba has had a stellar time at Manchester United since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took charge of the ship on a temporary basis at Old Trafford. The Frenchman has scored 14 goals for the season, and should have notched a 15th from the penalty spot during United’s hard-fought home win over Southampton last weekend.
Angus Gunn saved with his foot to keep out the World Cup winner’s effort, but luckily for the Red Devils and their midfield talisman, the miss did not cost them in the final accounts as the match finished 3-2 to the hosts. But that was not the only things from the game that Pogba would be talked for, as another moment from the first half featuring the midfielder also caught the eye of fans on social media, and showed how much of a winner the midfielder is.
Alexis Sanchez was played through on goal by the Frenchman when United were down a goal to the Saints, and Sanchez clearly had his shirt tugged at by goalscorer Yan Valvery, but decided not to go to ground and attempt to chase the ball down instead. The tug, however, had the desired affect and the Chilean was unable to reach the ball before it rolled out of play.
And this honesty on the Chilean’s part, wanting to stay on his feet, led to the referee waving play on and Gunn took his goal kick. But before the goalkeeper could retrieve the ball, Pogba could be seen waving his arms and shouting at Sanchez animatedly, demonstrating to him that he should have gone down to win the penalty.
Sanchez’s bad day did not end there, as he was forced off a little later on in the first half with a knee injury. And there are genuine fears that the former Arsenal man could be out of action for the next two months. Chile’s national team physio, Pedro Onate, told El Mercurio: “We spoke to the player and he had scans on the injury (on Sunday). He will be available for the Copa America, but he will be unavailable to play for between six and eight weeks. “The medial ligament strain is an annoying injury but not such a complex one.”
The win did help Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s men reclaim fourth spot, thus aiding their objective of trying to finish in the top four.
Author’s take
Pogba remonstrating with Sanchez regarding a potential missed opportunity to have a penalty does show that he wants to win no matter, which is a kind of energy that should rub off on teammates as well! But one cannot blame the latter for trying to stay on his feet as much as he could, for there are enough things being said about divers and those who want to use simulation to help their teams gain an advantage. Sanchez’s honesty will surely be appreciated by his manager and the fans!
