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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Matt Maltby

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer issues hands-off warning over Man Utd star Paul Pogba

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has once again told Real Madrid to forget about signing Paul Pogba this summer.

Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane recently expressed his admiration for Pogba following the player's comments about the Spanish giants during the international break.

While on France duty last month, Pogba told a press conference Real were a "dream" club - comments that led to speculation surrounding the star’s future in the Premier League.

However, his current attention is on the first leg of United’s mouthwatering Champions League quarter-final showdown with Barcelona .

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer speaks to the media on Tuesday (Getty Images)

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And ahead of Wednesday’s clash, Solskjaer revealed he expects World Cup-winning midfielder Pogba to still be at Old Trafford next season.

He said: "Paul is looking forward to tomorrow. He's a Manchester United player. He's one of our, of course, big performers on the big stage.

"He knows the game against PSG was not his greatest moment so he is only focused on playing well tomorrow against Barcelona and I cannot see him not playing for Man United next season either.”

Solskjaer was also keen to play down Pogba’s importance against the La Liga heavyweights, although he does expect him to deliver in front of his home fans.

Paul Pogba (R) in training for Man Utd on Tuesday (Action Images via Reuters)

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“It's not just about one player — everyone has to perform at their best level,” he added.

“But at Paul's best he can run a game like this. Paul's job is to be the creator and to drive us forward. I expect him to perform tomorrow."

Solskjaer is also hopeful striker Marcus Rashford will be in contention for Wednesday's first leg after recovering from an ankle injury.

Pogba will be looking to impress against Barcelona at Old Trafford (PA)

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Rashford, who has been managing various injuries in recent weeks, missed both of England's Euro 2020 qualifiers in March as well as United's 2-1 league defeat by Wolves last week but was part of Tuesday's training session.

"He needed the extra warm up, hopefully he won't get a reaction,” said Solskjaer.

“He couldn't join the boxes which is the fun part of training, let's see tomorrow. Hopefully he'll be ready.”

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