Paul Pogba was forced to sit out Manchester United training on Monday, casting doubt over his involvement in their Champions League clash with Sevilla.

The France international midfielder was a late withdrawal from the Red Devils fold to face Liverpool in Premier League competition on Saturday.

A knock picked up in training kept him out of that match, although United were able to pick up a 2-1 victory in his absence.

It is now possible that will also miss a crucial European fixture on Tuesday, with Jose Mourinho in the process of finalising his plans for the second leg of a last-16 showdown with Sevilla.

The Portuguese had told reporters on Pogba’s possible availability following a win over Liverpool: “I don’t know.

“He’s downstairs now and I will go and speak with him. The injury? It was contact with a player in the last minute of the training session [on Friday].

“If I finished the session one minute before it wouldn’t have happened.”

Pogba has endured a turbulent spell at Old Trafford of late, with his every move being dissected in minute detail.

Mourinho has opted to bench him at times, sparking debate regarding his future and value to the United cause, while several weeks were missed earlier in the season with a hamstring problem.

The 24-year-old is now being denied the opportunity to play his way back into form, with another spell on the sidelines being taken in at the worst possible time.

The big games keep on coming for United at the moment, with a continental tussle with Sevilla set to be followed by an FA Cup quarter-final meeting with Brighton.

It remains to be seen what role, if any, Pogba plays in those fixtures as is going to be short of match sharpness.

He is not the only player posing selection posers for Mourinho, though, with Marcos Rojo, Ander Herrera and Daley Blind also nursing knocks which kept them out of United’s latest training session.

Whoever makes the Red Devils selection in midweek will do so knowing that goals are required, with their two-legged tie with Sevilla currently locked at 0-0.

Credit: Goal.com

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Martial curled the ball into the net from the edge of the area to break the deadlock before Lingard also bent a shot beyond Jordan Pickford from distance.

Juan Mata hit a post for United while Oumar Niasse spurned Everton’s best chances.

The win ends United’s run of three straight draws, while Everton, now without a win in four, stay ninth.

United looked to be close to their best in the second half, with Paul Pogba providing the assists for both goals.

Lingard’s stunning strike was his seventh in the league this season, all scored in nine appearances since 28 November.

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Source: BBC

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The Spaniard made 14 saves, equalling the record since statisticians Opta began collecting data.

“You need the keeper to be there for you when the team needs,” added Mourinho.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said De Gea was “absolutely outstanding”.

Wenger’s side fired 33 shots at goal, with 15 finding the target. The United resistance prompted the Frenchman to state De Gea was “man of the match by a clear mile”.

Only Tim Krul – for Newcastle against Tottenham in 2013 – and Vito Mannone – for Sunderland at Chelsea in 2014 – have recorded 14 saves in a game since Opta began gathering this piece of data in 2003-04.

Most remarkable of all was a double De Gea save to deny Alexandre Lacazette and Alexis Sanchez with the score at 2-1 early in the second half.

De Gea played down his role, saying it was simply a “good game for me” before focusing on the “confidence” United can take into next week’s Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

Mourinho added: “I told De Gea after the match, what I saw today was the best from a goalkeeper in the world.

“I loved the way my team played and fought. Arsenal played in some period amazing attacking football – creating difficulties for us.

“But I have to say that my players deserve all the great words. I don’t know so many in English but amazing, phenomenal, fantastic. They deserved three points.”

Goals from Antonio Valencia and two from Jesse Lingard either side of Lacazette’s strike moved second-placed United to within five points of their city rivals.

They comfortably held on despite Paul Pogba being sent off for a dangerous challenge late on, punishing Arsenal for early defensive mistakes.

“Despite being 2-0 down we should have come back – we had enough chances,” said Wenger, whose side are now fifth.

“It was a big blow to go 2-0 so early on – especially at home. We were too on the edge mentally maybe – you cannot be in a game like that.

“We played well but there is nothing more frustrating when you have that quality of performance and nothing to show for it at the end. The attitude was impeccable until the end. But you cannot make the mistakes we made at the beginning.”

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Source: BBC

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The 24-year-old has joined United from Everton on a five-year contract for an initial £75m, with the deal believed to include £15m in add-ons.

Striker Lukaku said he and Pogba, who moved to Old Trafford from Juventus last year, are “always together”.

Speaking to MUTV, the Belgium international added that he had “the hunger to win trophies”.

Pogba, who has referred to himself as ‘Agent P’, last week posted pictures on social media of him and Lukaku together.

Lukaku said: “He is one of my best friends, and he is my neighbour as well. We are always together on a daily basis so he would explain to me how things were going.

“When he signed for United, to have witnessed that, it really triggered something in my brain and I knew that if one day I had the chance to sign then I would not say no.”

Lukaku scored 25 Premier League goals for Everton last season, but in March said he did not “want to stay at the same level”.

Speaking on Monday, he said: “You just know and realise how big the club is, and the hunger it has to win trophies.

“I would like to say, at the end of my career, that I played for a team that has always challenged for trophies and this is what the club has always done.

To be here now is a blessing and I will not take this opportunity for granted.”

United boss Jose Mourinho was manager of Chelsea when they sold Lukaku to Everton for £28m in July 2014.

The striker spent the 2013-14 season on loan at Goodison before signing a five-year deal that summer.

Chelsea matched United’s offer to sign him from Everton, but Lukaku has been reunited with Mourinho.

“I am really looking forward to it, that is the most exciting part,” he said. “We have a really good relationship and I always dreamed to play under him since I was 10.

“To have the opportunity at 24 to work under him and to be part of his plans for challenges for trophies is exciting.

“I think he is a manager to help us to win trophies and I can’t wait to start working under him again.”

Lukaku has linked up with United on their pre-season tour of the United States, and trained with his new team-mates on Monday.

His move to the Red Devils means he will play alongside midfielder Marouane Fellaini for club and country.

Lukaku said: “He spoke to me two days ago and sent me a message saying: ‘Now you will discover how big and how great the club is.’ I said to him: ‘I have already realised it a little!’

“To have a guy who plays with me in the national team and one of my best friends in life in my team is great to get to know the players.”

Lukaku in stats

• With two goals against Hull City in March, Lukaku became the first Everton player since Gary Lineker in 1985-86 to score 20 league goals in a season.
• Lukaku is also only the fourth player to score more than 80 goals in the Premier League before turning 24 (after Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Rooney).
• He has scored more goals than any other Everton player in Premier League history (68).
• Lukaku is one of only three players to have scored more than 10 goals in each of the past five Premier League seasons (alongside Olivier Giroud and Sergio Aguero).

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Source: BBC

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However, football’s world governing body will open disciplinary proceedings against the Italian champions after asking both clubs last month for “clarification on the deal”.

The enquiry was believed to concern who was involved in the £89.3m transfer, and how much they were paid.

It has been reported Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, earned £41m from the deal.

“We can confirm that no disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Manchester United,” a Fifa spokesman told ESPN.

“We can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Juventus FC. We cannot comment further as proceedings are ongoing.”

It has been alleged Fifa’s interest in the transfer could be related to the issue of third-party ownership, although that has been denied by Raiola.

France midfielder Pogba, 24, is in his second spell at Old Trafford, having left the club for Juventus for £1.5m in 2012.

The France midfielder first joined United from French side Le Havre in acrimonious circumstances in 2009. He returned to the club last summer for a world record fee of 105m euros.

United also agreed to pay Juventus 5m euros (£4.5m) in performance-related bonuses plus other costs, including 5m euros if Pogba signs a new contract.

When they confirmed the transfer, Juventus said the “economic effect” to their club was “about 72.6m euros”.

A book published in Germany last month – The Football Leaks: The Dirty Business of Football – and reproduced in media reports, included what it says is a breakdown of the fee for the France international.

When contacted by the BBC last month, Raiola declined to comment and said the matter was in the hands of his lawyers.

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Source: BBC

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