MANCHESTER United are off and running in the Premier League for 2018-19 via a 2-1 win over Leicester, as stand-in captain Paul Pogba gave ‘head coach’ Jose Mourinho a reason to smile.

Handed the armband and a surprise start despite only returning to training after a hugely successful World Cup on Monday, the French superstar turned in a man-of-the-match display amid rumours of a blockbuster switch to Barcelona.

According to The Mirror’s John Cross, the performance of the mercurial midfielder made the prospect of an untimely exit ‘unthinkable.’

“This was a night when Pogba showed it would be unthinkable to entertain the notion of letting him leave,” he wrote.

“Pogba won the World Cup less than a month ago and yet Mourinho has struggled to get the best out of the France midfielder since his £89m move to United two years ago.

“But Pogba played with the same swagger and confidence he showed in Russia in a marauding midfield masterclass in Old Trafford.”

The 25-year-old stole the headlines on a night where he opened his, Manchester United’s and the Premier League’s account after just two minutes, as the media paid homage to the symbolism of the armband worn firmly around his bicep.

“Pogba has been United’s skipper before, of course, but this felt different – a symbolic gesture after another peculiar week in the Mourinho era,” wrote Chris Bascombe in The Telegraph.

“Pogba started like the World Cup winner he is.

“Whether this was the confidence discovered in Russia or the natural footballing arrogance that inspires him to ask for a ‘short back and stars’ at the barbers is a matter for debate, but the United crowd was with him as much when he perfectly timed tackles to stop counter-attacks as gliding through midfield.”

Despite ongoing rumours of unrest and unhappiness on Pogba’s part, Mourinho opted to back his oft maligned midfield maestro, handing him the captaincy in the absence of Antonio Valencia – a decision termed a ‘masterstroke’ by The Times’ Henry Winter.
“A masterstroke by Mourinho to question Pogba verbally before then handing him such an honour and responsibility? Pogba responded. So did Old Trafford.

“This seemed a real statement of attacking intent by Mourinho, empowering Pogba more, and the fans approved loudly, particularly as the game unfolded spectacularly.”

While The Guardian’s Jamie Jackson labelled it ‘priceless PR’ considering the well documented feud that was allegedly taking place between the pair behind the scenes for near the entirety of last campaign.

“It arrived after Mourinho handed Pogba the armband, and was priceless PR for a pair who can endure a troubled relationship.

“Next came a vignette 23 minutes in. Pogba was dispossessed by Kelechi Iheanacho. Yet instead of remaining on the floor, up sprung a Frenchman who had returned to training only on Monday after winning the World Cup to win the ball back from the Nigerian.”

On the whole, the match was seen as a valuable victory to bring some smiles back to the red side of Manchester following a tempestuous pre-season – punctuated by consistent complaints from their stroppy manager – and a transfer window that failed to yield much optimism.

However, three points aside the performance failed to provide any real signs that there would be an upturn in fortune at the club, especially with a massive gulf to crosstown rivals Manchester City firmly in the forefront of their consciousness.

The Guardian’s Daniel Taylor deduced: “Not that this victory provided too much evidence that United are genuinely equipped to improve on last season’s position as runners-up.

“They struggled to impose themselves for long spells against a robust and adventurous Leicester side and, briefly, it was a wave of apprehension engulfing the stadium when Jamie Vardy’s stoppage-time header gave the away side the opportunity to pull off a dramatic feat of escapology.”

For The Telegraph’s Jason Burt, the clash shaped as a metaphor for Mourinho’s tenure at United.

“The match itself was a microcosm of how Mourinho is perceived,” he wrote.

“It was either an important, encouraging win earned through managing the depleted resources available to him – for example using 22-year-old attacking midfielder such as Andreas Pereira in a deeper role – or another example that they are a maddeningly constrained curiosity given the vast resources available to them.”

Mourinho was restrained in his post-match comments – for him at least – as he took a thinly veiled swipe at the club’s board for their failed transfer dealings. But, as Burt raised, one can only imagine the tirade he’d have launched had Leicester snatched an unlikely point.