OLE GUNNAR SOLSKJAER says Paul Pogba has the strength of character to rise above social media abuse and just get stronger.
Pogba was the target of racist postings after he missed a penalty against Wolves last Monday.
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But ahead of Manchester United’s game against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford, Solskjaer said Pogba was raring to go.
Solskjaer said: “Paul’s fine, Paul’s a strong character and it makes him stronger. When you speak to him he’s fine.”
At the same time United boss Solskjaer revealed his utter dismay at the fact that racism is still so prevalent in this modern world.
He said: “I just cannot believe we’re still here in 2019 talking about these instances. Social media is a place where people can hide behind fake IDs.
“We’ve got to do something about it and the authorities have got to do something about it.
“We need to protect individuals and protect people. When there’s death threats and racism, it’s serious allegations, serious incidents, sometimes you get annoyed.
We’re not going to ban our players from it. We can use it to spread good.
Solskjaer speaking about social media
“But we’re not going to ban our players from social media. We have to spread the good word and we can use it to spread good.”
Indeed a number of Pogba’s teammates took to social media the to support the France star in the face of the abuse.
Solskjaer said: “It’s natural for them, they’re a team, we talk about team spirit, it’s natural for us as human beings and teammates, we look after each other.
“You won’t see any of ours criticise each other in social media or the media.”
Solskjaer says he actually feels sorry for the people who feel the need to post racist abuse.
He said: “You feel sorry for them, they must have problems themselves.”
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SunSport revealed this week that Solskjaer had torn into Pogba and Marcus Rashford after they had an on pitch dispute over who was going to take the penalty at Wolves.
Solskjaer said in the dressing room afterwards that Rashford was now the No1 to avoid any further confusion.
But the boss insists that does not mean that Pogba will never take another one, saying: “I’m sure you’re going to see Paul Pogba score a pen for Manchester United again.”
United aim to get back to winning ways against Crystal Palace a side that has never beaten them in the Premier League.
Still, Solskjaer is expecting a tough game against Roy Hodgson’s side, adding: “It’s going to be a tough game as all these games in the Premier League are.
“Every single one gives you a difficult challenge and of course they’re a very well organised team with pace up front on the counter attacks.
“They are also big on set pieces and we have to do all parts of the game well.
“We have to attack well, win the ball back when we lose it and we’ve got to be strong on set plays.”
