Paul Pogba will make (second) Manchester United debut on Friday
Paul Pogba will play his first match for Manchester United (or at least his first match in his second spell at Old Trafford) on Friday when the Red Devils take on Southampton. Jose Mourinho confirmed that his star signing would play in the match despite returning to training just last week.
"We played against Leicester [in the Community Shield] with players with less training than him and we saw that match as a way to improve them and accelerate the process," Mourinho told MUTV.
"With Paul, it's a bit the same. Not one single minute of any preseason match, but almost two weeks of work with us, sometimes with the group, sometimes separately, and the condition is OK to play some minutes."
Pogba was given an extended summer break, in part because he was in the middle of his transfer from Juventus to Manchester United and in part because he spent a month playing with France at the Euros. But despite a long vacation, he spent it pretty active, from playing soccer, to basketball, to doing kick boxing. Pogba said himself that he made a point of staying in shape even during his summer break.
Still, nothing can get someone ready for playing in matches other than playing in matches. We'll see how many minutes Mourinho actually plays Pogba for and what kind of fitness he has, but however long it is, Pogba will get closer to full fitness. Then he can turn his attention to making good on that €110 million transfer fee and ensuring his return to Manchester United is as successful as the Red Devils are betting on it being.
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