The form guide as Pogba looks to continue unbeaten record versus Southampton
- Nathan Ridley
- 1 February 2021
Manchester United will be looking to get back to winning ways on Tuesday as they tackle Southampton in the Premier League. Paul Pogba will want to keep his unbeaten record against the Saints intact.
Manchester United's clash with Southampton would be an ideal time for Paul Pogba to step up and turn their recent form around.
Pogba, like Manchester United, seems to have lost his mojo in the last week. The Red Devils suffered an embarrassing defeat at Sheffield United before a frustrating 0-0 draw at Arsenal at the weekend.
Now, Man Utd have their sights set on the struggling Saints, who have only one win in their last eight Premier League games.
In this season's reverse fixture, Pogba was absent as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side came from 2-0 down to win 2-3, thanks to a Bruno Fernandes strike and Edinson Cavani brace.
Pogba has faced Southampton seven times since his return to Old Trafford. Those matches include a trophy victory, an epic comeback and a long-awaited homecoming.
Stat attack
Pogba is unbeaten in the seven occasions that he has played the men from St Mary's. He has picked up three victories and four draws - a win rate of 42.9%.
However, United number 6 has failed to register a single goal or assist against Southampton, although has had some standout performances.
Planet Sport takes a look back at Pogba's best displays against the south-coast side.
Top five performances
Manchester United 2-0 Southampton
Premier League, Old Trafford
August 19, 2016
Pogba's first game back in a Man United shirt following his £80million move from Juventus in the summer.
Strutting out of the tunnel, fresh with a new haircut, Pogba received a rousing reception as Jose Mourinho's men dispatched Claude Puel's Southampton thanks to two goals by Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Pogba was awarded the man of the match award with an 8.9 whoscored.com rating. He boasted more touches and completed more passes in the opposing half than any other United player.
Those were on top of two key passes and a whopping nine dribbles - three times as many as any other player - along with winning a duo of aerial duels.
Although, it could only get better after he fluffed his first pass!
Manchester United 3-2 Southampton
EFL Cup final, Wembley Stadium
February 26, 2017
As the 27-year-old Carrington academy graduate often states, Pogba came back to Old Trafford to win trophies. In his first senior final, he got one - the 2017 League Cup.
Backed by another Ibrahimovic brace, Pogba's 83% pass accuracy, four dribbles and two tackles also made it a memorable day at Wembley. Jesse Lingard also netted to cancel out Manolo Gabbiadini's double, as United claimed a 3-2 win.
The Saints were unfortunate with a dodgy offside call, as they miraculously made it 2-2 before the break. However, nothing was going to stop Mourinho from claiming his second piece of silverware at the club.
A Europa League triumph would follow in May but that was as good as it got for France's playmaker and his Portuguese boss.
Southampton 1-1 Manchester United
Premier League, St Mary's Stadium
August 31, 2019
Back at the beginning of last season, Man United travelled to St Mary's for a disappointing draw.
Pogba, partnering Scott McTominay, did well to adapt to Southampton's all-action midfield. He managed four dribbles and had 82 touches, the fourth-highest between both sets of players.
However, no player was dispossessed more than Pogba, losing the ball three times in a contest in which chances were at a premium.
St Mary's hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Pogba, as in his other appearance was part of a disjointed 2-2 draw in December 2018.
Manchester United 3-2 Southampton
Premier League, Old Trafford
March 2, 2019
Romelu Lukaku was a big pal of Pogba during their time at the club, and the Belgian's double helped Man United to a quintessential comeback win.
Two wonder strikes from Southampton, either side of an Andreas Pereira strike and Lukaku curler, meant the Belgian striker had to score an 89th minute winner to rescue all three points.
The game ended on a sour note, though, as Pogba missed a penalty in added time to give his teammates a less than comfortable ending before he was booked.
Manchester United 0-0 Southampton
Premier League, Old Trafford
December 30, 2017
Ending on one of his four draws - the last in July in which Pogba was dispossessed for the Saints' opener - we have a typically tepid Mourinho display.
The Frenchman has his fair share of critics but couldn't do much in this festive fixture with his 89% pass completion rate and three aerial duels won, as well as a shot.
Pogba almost snatched victory late on with a 81st minute tap in, but it was correctly called offside flag.
Tip of the fixture
With nine goals shared between these sides in their last two meetings at the Theatre of Dreams, over 4.5 goals in the game is priced at 19/5 on paddypower.com.
But the odds for another 0-0 are 13/1, with both teams failing to score in their previous matches.
