Former Manchester United and Aston Villa attacker Dion Dublin was impressed with the impact made by midfielder Paul Pogba during Tuesday night’s Premier League match at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils, led by interim manager Ralf Rangnick, hosted Graham Potter’s Brighton and Hove Albion in what, on paper, looked to be a tricky tie.
Rangnick’s pre-match preparations suffered a blow after defender Raphael Varane was forced to withdraw 30-minutes before kick-off due to injury.
However, with Victor Lindelof taking his place and Rangnick able to deploy an attacking frontline, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and youngster Anthony Elanga, the Red Devils proved too much to handle for Potter’s Seagulls.
One player who did not feature for the duration was French midfielder Paul Pogba though.
After being named as one of two selection changes, the 2018 World Cup winner was resigned to a place on his manager’s bench.
However, after coming on in place of Fred with 20-minutes to go, Pogba’s introduction undoubtedly helped United double their lead.
Two second-half goals from Ronaldo and compatriot Bruno Fernandes, whom Pogba set up, helped Rangnick get the better of his managerial counterpart.
Speaking about the impact Pogba had, particularly for Fernandes’ goal, which saw him play a quick free-kick, Dublin, who spoke to MUTV (as quoted by MEN), said: “Paul Pogba changed the game when he came on. His little bit of quality, picking the right passes.
“He put Brighton on the back foot.”
After running out eventual 2-0 winners, United’s victory now sees them climb above West Ham United and into a Champions League qualification spot in the table.