What Paul Pogba did after Brighton win shows Manchester United can change their plan

For several minutes after the Manchester United players had left the Old Trafford pitch on Tuesday the TV cameras lingered on the youngster who had landed the ultimate souvenir from his night out: Paul Pogba’s match-worn shirt.

As the stadium emptied around him, the boy beamed in disbelief and looked at the red shirt in his hands with incredulity. You could have turned the Old Trafford floodlights off at that moment and the smile would still have illuminated the pitch.

You could hardly blame the family for lingering inside Old Trafford when the alternative might have been joining the masses trying to navigate the Metrolink chaos, but this was also the final memory of what was clearly going to be an unforgettable night.

The shirtless Pogba was the last player off the pitch and, as he headed towards the tunnel, the Red Army singing section roared their approval.

This had been another night of ripostes to those that believe Pogba is ticking down the days until his contract expires at the end of June and he can escape his United purgatory.

Make no mistake, the 28-year-old cares deeply about this football club.

He spent some of the first half doing some coaching from the touchline as he warmed up and he improved United’s midfield considerably when he did come on the final 17 minutes. The gift of his shirt was another show of appreciation to the supporters.

It’s nearly three years now since Pogba said he wanted a new challenge. That desire wasn’t fuelled by unhappiness at Old Trafford, but at the sense this was a club struggling to match his ambition. There have been some statement transfer windows since then but not the kind of joined-up strategy that is required to win the Premier League these days. United are still