Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: 'Paul Pogba does not deserve penalty criticism'

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expects Manchester United fans to show their support for Paul Pogba in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.

The Frenchman found himself at the centre of another controversy when he took a late penalty in the 1-1 draw with Wolves on Monday instead of Marcus Rashford and saw it saved by Rui Patricio.

Solskjaer insisted afterwards that the pair have joint responsibility for taking penalties and played down the incident but Pogba was criticised and subjected to racist abuse on social media.

“We can all see Paul was disappointed when he missed the penalty,” said Solskjaer. “He doesn’t deserve this.

“He gives his absolutely everything for the club every week. I know people expect him to do absolutely everything on a football pitch. He’s got so many qualities. We’re seeing different qualities from Paul this year compared to last season and he’s a leader in the group. I expect the fans to be behind him.”

Pogba has become a lightning rod for the problems at Old Trafford, while his £89million price tag has brought huge expectations.

“He expects a lot from himself as well,” said Solskjaer when asked whether Pogba is unfairly judged.

“It doesn’t frustrate me. We expect a lot from him but we know that we can’t get Roy Keane, Veron, Scholes, Giggs and Cantona in one player. It’s hard. He’s a top, top player.

“We do expect a lot from our players and we have high hopes this season. Hopefully we can be consistent and challenge when we come to April and May, and Paul plays a big part in that.”