Ole Gunnar Solskjær has admitted speculation is always likely to surround Paul Pogba’s future for as long as the France midfielder remains at Manchester United but is confident any further overtures from Real Madrid can be repulsed in January. United’s manager also believes a top-four finish is not beyond his side this season.

Zinedine Zidane is under pressure at the Bernabéu because of poor results, rather than his failure to sign his main transfer target in the summer, though Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Pérez, still appears to believe a move is possible later in the season. However, Solskjær is adamant Pogba will stay at United.

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“I don’t listen to the president of Real Madrid,” Solskjær said. “I am not worried now and I will never be worried in the future about Paul staying here. If it all kicks off again in January, there will be no worries then either. If we have to live with the speculation again, then we will handle it like we did in the summer.

“Paul is going nowhere, he is working hard and is totally committed to Manchester United. He is one of our big characters, someone who will walk out on to any pitch and be full of confidence. That’s what I look for in a United player. You need a big personality to play for this club.”

Pogba has missed the last couple of United games through injury and may not recover in time to face West Ham on Sunday afternoon. Anthony Martial and Daniel James also face late checks for a fixture Manchester United lost 3-1 a year ago, at a time when Solskjær was still managing Molde in Norway. “I think José [Mourinho] was struggling for fit centre-backs at the time,” he said. “I also remember that West Ham’s first goal was offside and that kind of thing can affect an outcome.

“I think people can see our improvement as a team since. We feel we are on the right track and, if we keep it up, I believe we will be challenging for the top four at the end of the season. It is wide open at the moment.”