He's not going to go – Solskjaer rules out January move for Pogba

Paul Pogba, who has returned to training, will not be leaving Manchester United in January, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed.

Paul Pogba will not be leaving Man Utd in January

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists Manchester United will not sell Paul Pogba in the January transfer window.

Pogba has made just six appearances in all competitions this season, having not featured since a 1-1 draw with Arsenal on September 30.

The France midfielder has been struggling with a foot injury, but he is expected to make his return over the Christmas period.

With 18 months remaining on his current deal, Pogba – signed for £89.3million from Juventus in 2016 – has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford and long-term admirer Real Madrid is among the reported suitors.

But Solskjaer, who brought up a year in charge of United on Thursday, is adamant Pogba will be going nowhere in January.

"He's a fantastic player, charismatic personality, and for us we're happy that he's here," Solskjaer told a news conference ahead of Sunday's meeting with Watford.

"There's all these hypotheticals. I've just answered he's not going to go."

Asked what Pogba can do to stop the speculation over his future, Solskjaer believes the best method would be for the 26-year-old to do his talking on the pitch.

"When he comes back, play well, play with a smile on his face and do what he did a year ago when I came here," Solskjaer said.

"Paul's been fantastic when he's played for us. We know we've got one of the best players in the world when he's playing well. He needs time to get fit of course but he'll make a difference for us."

Pressed on whether Pogba could make his comeback before the New Year, Solskjaer added: "I hope so. Let's see how he feels.

"I'm not going to push him, of course. We need him to be 100 per cent fit, I can't risk any setbacks.

"He's training but he's not been training with us for long. He's training and that's a step forward for us."

While Pogba will not be leaving, Solskjaer acknowledged some fringe players in United's squad could be the subject of interest.

"Always a chance of it," he said when asked if there would be January departures.  

"I can say 99.99 per cent sure they won't go but there's always a chance teams will be interested in some of ours. Maybe they're not happy they've not played enough."