Paul Pogba referenced the birth of his first child after opening the scoring from the penalty spot against Brighton. Paul Pogba marked the birth of his child by doing the celebration made famous by Brazil star Bebeto in the 1994 World Cup after scoring a penalty in Manchester United’s Premier League game against Brighton. Club legend Bryan Robson confirmed the Reds midfielder had welcomed his first child ahead of United’s warm-weather training camp in Dubai in early January.

“When I saw Paul last week in Dubai with the United squad, I had a little chat and congratulated him on the birth of his baby,” Robson told the Daily Mail. “He just seemed so relaxed and easy with things.” Pogba has returned to form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, scoring five goals and providing four assists in seven games under United’s caretaker manager.

The France international opened the scoring against Brighton on Saturday afternoon after converting the penalty he won following a challenge from Gaeten Bong. The 25-year-old’s celebration, in which he imitated rocking a baby in his arms, was his first public reference of his new-born child.
Pogba’s showings under Solskjaer saw him named the club’s player of the month for December and the midfielder says it is like the former striker, who coached him at reserve-level, had never been away.

“It’s like home for him. He knows,” he told BBC Sport.

“Nothing really changed, he just came back to the time of Ferguson. The training, the way we use the ball, it’s everything like before.

“He’s always been really smiley, a person close to the players, understanding them. The respect gets a bit higher now but he’s still the same person.”
And Pogba, who lifted the World Cup with France last summer, said United are targetting a top-four finish this season.

“We have goals, that’s our objective, to go back to the top,” he added. “The top four, we can do it. We know we can do it.”