Pogba in need of big France performance against Man Utd star Fernandes

"I know Paul well and he knows the squad well," France manager Didier Deschamps told France Football at the start of the week. "He finds himself in a situation with his club that he can't be happy about, neither in terms of his playing time nor his position."

Pogba has only started four of Manchester United's opening seven league matches. He was dropped for the win against Paris Saint-Germain and draw with Chelsea; conceded the penalty in a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal and was again on the bench for United's 3-1 win away to Everton last weekend.

It is clear Ole Gunnar Solskjaer currently does not trust Pogba for the big matches. With Fred and McTominay preferred as United's midfield base, many would argue Pogba is wasted there anyway. He should instead be given a greater license to break forward without having to worry so much about defending.

The fact Pogba has conceded three penalties in just 23 Premier League appearances since the beginning of last season only reinforces that point - only David Luiz has conceded more in that time (5 in 38 apps). Moreover, a retun of 4.1 fouls per 90 in the Premier League is the most of any player to have started more than once this season. He is a calamity around the box and should be as far away from your own penalty area as possible, yet even deploying Pogba further forward is not an option now Bruno Fernandes is the undisputed star of the show.

Yet there are a couple of cavaets to Pogba's woes. The 27-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of August and it is understood to have hit him quite hard. Not only that but United's pre-season lasted 10 days and for most it was even less, so once he did return the team in general was struggling and unable to carry him.

"He's not at his best, he's had a string of injuries and COVID-19 has also affected him adversely," Deschamps continued. "He needs to rediscover his rhythm". The current international break is a good opportunity for Pogba to do just that but it got off to a disasterous start, with France slipping to a 2-0 defeat to Finland - their first defeat on home soil since March 2018. Pogba struggled in a midfield two alongside Steven N'Zonzi on Wednesday and was replaced before the hour mark.

Next up for France is a crucial UEFA Nations League match away to Portugal where Pogba will come face-to-face with United team-mate Fernandes. While both are good friends it is true, from the outside looking in, there is an interesting rivalry. There is no denying Pogba has a unique skillset and has shown against both PSG and Leipzig he can be a key player for United - both of his assists this season came in those games.

However, Fernandes has managed more on the pitch in 10 months than Pogba has in four-and-a-half years. Even if Pogba upstages Fernandes on Saturday it will not change his immediate status at United. Fernandes is now the leader at Old Trafford. The 26-year-old has remarkably managed 31 goals and assists in 33 appearances in all competitions for United, averaging a direct hand in a goal every 79.2 minutes of playing time.

United were fifth and 14 points off third place prior to Fernandes' debut last season, yet concluded in third and four points clear of fifth thanks to him. Fernandes hasn't quite been at his best this season but has still scored or assisted 10 times in as many appearances across league and European competition. Across his 30 starts in all competitions for United he has only failed to score or assist 10 times. Even on bad days he still contributes more often than not.

Pogba, meanwhile has scored just one goal in his last 28 Premier League appearances. He hasn't scored a league goal at Old Trafford since April 2019 and his last Premier League goal from open play was back in February 2019. Warming the bench at United is clearly not a good situation for anyone. His reputation has dipped considerably in the last 12 months and talk of a £100m transfer to Real Madrid is now laughable. United will do well to even recoup their initial £80m outlay on Pogba if they cash in this summer.

These are certainly difficult times for the 2018 World Cup winner. Even Timothy Fosu-Mensah (1), who hasn't featured for United in the league since their first game of the season, has created more clear-cut scoring chances than Pogba (0). Indeed, he has registered just two key passes across his seven league appearances and a dribble success rate of 62.5% is down from last season (71.1%). While defending has generally never been his strong point, it's damning he has regressed at what he is actually good at so far this season.

With so many matches to play in a condensed period, there are going to be plenty of chances for Pogba to rediscover his best form, though clearly he needs to change the tide of opinion as soon as possible. Producing a solid display up against Fernandes on Saturday would be the perfect place to start, even if it's for his own sake.