Friday 4 May 2018 20:02, UK
Danny Higginbotham believes a positional shift could be the key to getting the best out of both Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez at Manchester United.
The pair's performances have been mixed since Sanchez's arrival from Arsenal in the January transfer window, but Higginbotham insists it won't take much for them to click.
"There's been a lot of talk about Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez and how you can get the best out of them in the same team," he told Sky Sports.
"I don't think there's a problem. They are two world-class players and should be two of United's most dangerous attacking threats."
According to Higginbotham, the problems have arisen when the duo have been deployed too close together on Manchester United's left-hand side.
"We know that Pogba likes to go into that area. It's the area he loves to dominate," he said.
"Pogba is a magnificent attack-minded midfielder who is very difficult to stop when he gets into his stride, but space needs to be created for him to get into.
"The problem is that Sanchez himself loves to come into that area as well, so all of a sudden there's no room for Pogba to get into that avenue down the left-hand side.
So what then happens is that Pogba drops deep. And when he drops deep, he becomes less effective. You want Pogba higher up the pitch."
The solution, according to Higginbotham, is to move Pogba to the right-hand side of midfield, just as Jose Mourinho did in the second half of United's 3-2 win over Manchester City.
"They were very close together in the first half and the problem was apparent in the way they were getting in each other's way," he said.
"But after the start of the second half, it seemed very much like Pogba had drifted over to the right-hand side - which is where his first goal came from.
"So in my mind, there is a way to get them both into the team and playing at their best. Hopefully it's something we'll see more of next season."
Watch Higginbotham's full analysis in the video above and tune in to Brighton v Manchester United live on Sky Sports Premier League from 7.30pm on Friday
