Solskjaer explains Pogba snub in Man Utd captaincy call

Rather than lean on experience, the Red Devils boss opted to hand the armband to young defender Axel Tuanzebe for a Carabao Cup clash with Rochdale

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has explained why he took the decision to hand the Manchester United captaincy to Axel Tuanzebe on Wednesday, not Paul Pogba.

The Red Devils took in a midweek outing against Rochdale in the third round of the Carabao Cup.

Solskjaer, as expected, took the opportunity to shuffle his pack for a meeting with lower league opposition.

He was handed a tougher test than many expected, with United requiring penalties to a book a date with Chelsea in round four.


A number of youngsters were, however, able to get important minutes under their belt, including Tuanzebe.

The 21-year-old defender has admitted his surprise at being passed the armband, with the likes of World Cup winner Pogba in the same starting XI, but Solskjaer wanted to mix things up.

He told talkSPORT: “Axel is a captain in the making, he’s a leader – why not give to young kids?

“We know we can give it to Sergio [Romero] and we can give it to Paul, that’s no problem and they’ve been captains before.

“But it was Axel today and how does he handle it? He was absolutely fine, he enjoyed it.

“It’s just a way of telling him that we trust him.”





GOAL