Manchester United: Paul Pogba was massive miss against Manchester City

What to do in the future if Pogba is once again unavailable

With games against Bournemouth and West Brom coming up, Mourinho can probably return to his direct approach. United will have most of their possession in their final third. If I was a betting man, a flutter on an Ashley Young assist, with Fellaini to score would be tempting.

So how do United fix this potential issue that could arise in the future? The simple answer is for Mourinho to buy another Pogba-esque player in January or the Summer. However, someone with such skill and ability to match their physical attributes is a rare type. And if they do possess that ability to match, they are not going to be wanting to sit on the bench every week.

Nemanja Matic is a player who, like Pogba, very rarely finds himself dispossessed. They both have a unique ability to retain the ball in tight areas. Similar to Michael Carrick in his prime, they manage to keep hold of it until a passing option appears. Whether Matic has the speed to pull away from the opposition on the counter-attack like the former Juventus man does, is another matter.

Marouane Fellaini is similarly a great physical presence. However, he doesn’t have the skill to play the final pass and Ander Herrera has become more synonymous with doing the dirty work well.