Manchester United 5-1 Cardiff City: 6 men who were brilliant for Solskjaer

#3 Paul Pogba

Cardiff City v Manchester United - Premier League

Much had been said of the Frenchman in recent times. Many were calling for him to move on from Old Trafford because he looked lazy and unimpressive under Jose Mourinho. With a change in management, big things were expected of him, especially since Solskjaer had declared his intentions to build a team around Paul Pogba. Against Cardiff, he just showed the world why the Norwegian had directly brought him back into the team.

Pogba played with freedom, he played without inhibitions. There were no shackles on him, however, that did not mean that he did not track back. He looked extremely comfortable on the left side of the midfield, combining exquisitely with both Martial and Luke Shaw. However, it was while going forward that the Frenchman showed his class.

The trickery, change of pace, skills and turns were back, but it was not just showboating, these were used to good effect. His dummy before the Rashford free kick unsettled the defense, he set up Herrera for the second, but it was his vision for his club's third goal that showed what an important player he could be for United.

While people always question his attitude, the Frenchman showed class by agreeing to Lingard taking the spot kick. When it looked like United were losing steam, he set up Lingard for the fifth goal. Solskjaer might say he always knew about Pogba's qualities, but against Cardiff, the Frenchman looked rejuvenated and United were a far better team as a result.