Manchester United forward Anthony Martial believes his team-mate Paul Pogba has the ability to lead the team to “great things”.
After a struggling start to the season under former manager Jose Mourinho, Pogba has been in superb form under new caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with six goals and five assists in the Norwegian’s 10 games in charge.
The Frenchman has been involved in 20 goals in total this season across all competitions, the most by any central midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues.
And Martial credits the newfound freedom Pogba has under Solskjaer to his improved form.
“We all know what quality Paul possesses – Paul is Paul,” Martial told Sky Sports.
“Now he has got this freedom to play with, I think we are beginning to see the real Paul Pogba play and let’s hope it continues.
More importantly, at a time where several candidates in the squad are being mentioned as potential future captains at United, Martial believes the 25-year-old has all the qualities of a leader.
Pogba was named captain for United’s first two league games this season, but one of the consequences of his dramatic fallout with Mourinho was being removed from his role as one of United’s vice-captains, with the former manager reportedly telling Pogba he would never captain United again.
The midfielder has not worn the armband under Solskjaer, either, but with the new manager getting Pogba out of his shell, Martial says his compatriot is displaying his leadership ability.
He said: “He is a leader, he talks more in the dressing room than he does on the field to be fair. Technically and with the spoken word, he is a leader in both senses.
“I hope he can continue to lead us to great things.”
