Pogba leaning towards staying at Manchester United after Ronaldo's impact

The manner in which Ronaldo marked his return, plus the arrivals of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, has given United fans hope that another successful period in their history might be ahead.

Such optimism will inevitably extend to the players and, in a potentially major development, The Athletic has learnt that Saturday had a significant bearing on Pogba’s thinking over his future.

The 28-year-old France international produced the latest in a string of fine displays, laying on two goals in United’s 4-1 victory to take his tally of assists so far this season to seven in four matches.

Pogba is into the final 12 months of his contract and there has still been no meaningful progress in negotiations over a new deal, raising the possibility of him leaving as a free agent next summer.