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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford 'Vital' Amid Transfer Rumours
March 29, 2019
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer classes both Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford as "vital" players at the club amid recent transfer rumours regarding the duo.
Solskjaer was appointed as the Red Devils' permanent manager on Thursday, having initially only been signed on a deal until the end of the season in December.
Per James Ducker of the Daily Telegraph, the new United boss made it clear how highly he values Pogba and Rashford.
"They are vital for our future," he said. "You have got loads of players who you can build a team around, and those are two that you asked me about."
Solskjaer was also quizzed on whether the duo would be able to achieve their ambitions at Old Trafford in the future.
"I would believe so," the former Norway striker said. "That's our aim as a club, to be achieving what we have done in the past. That is the expectations here. Of course, we are hoping to build a team strong enough [to be] worthy of the history of the club."
As Ducker noted, Pogba has been linked with a move to Real Madrid recently, while Barcelona are said to admire Rashford.
Speaking during the recent international break, Pogba said Los Blancos were "a dream club for every player," per BBC Sport.
He also recently spoke of how much faith he has in Solskjaer:
As relayed by Oddschecker, French newspaper L'Equipe believes Madrid have big ambitions in the transfer market in the summer:
Despite interest from some high-profile clubs, it would be a big shock if either Pogba or Rashford left at the end of the campaign.
United will be looking to make life as easy as possible for Solskjaer as he prepares for his first full season in charge. Selling off one of the club's biggest assets would be a major setback.
Both Pogba and Rashford have made strides since Solskjaer took over at Old Trafford too. The latter has relished leading the line when given the opportunity and showcased remarkable maturity to fire home a last-gasp penalty against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League, putting the Red Devils into the quarter-finals (UK only):
As for Pogba, the numbers he's posted since Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho speak for themselves:
United are in a strong financial position and will not be bullied into selling any of their star players as a result. Instead, it's anticipated they will invest heavily in an attempt to challenge rivals Manchester City and Liverpool in the coming seasons.
While Pogba and Rashford have each endured inconsistent patches in recent years, they appear to be benefitting from Solskjaer's man management, as well as the extra attacking freedom he has handed to them.