It is indicative of where Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer are right now that two words were understandably seized on following the shambolic defeat at Arsenal.

The United manager said that with Paul Pogba again injured, “his people” had advised that the midfielder needed to undergo ankle surgery that would rule him out for the next month.

If it was a swipe at Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, then it was badly thought through and immediately backfired as it left Solskjaer looking like a man who was not in control of the situation, which is how it has always felt when it comes to dealing with United’s prize asset.

Solskjaer qualified his comment and United were insistent that they had carried out the scans on Pogba and that the need for surgery was a joint decision between the club and the player’s adviser.

Pogba will come under criticism for being injured again and for his commitment to the cause, but it has to be asked why he featured in two games within four days, when he had been out injured for so long.

The bigger picture points to United not being in control, with the club unable to adequately deal with a player who wants to leave and who they should have sold last summer to Real Madrid.