Sixteen minutes of the interview have elapsed before the questioning turns, inevitably, to what has become the elephant in the room for the Manchester United manager, namely the future of Paul Pogba.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has had several weeks now to properly digest Pogba’s public admission that he wants to leave Old Trafford and pursue a “new challenge” elsewhere, preferably at Real Madrid.

Having looked Solskjaer in the eye and told him he was committed to United only months earlier, Pogba’s declaration was, in truth, something of a slap in the face to his manager. And yet, if Solskjaer was hurt or disappointed by it, he is not showing it from his seat in a quiet corner of the plush Crown Towers resort in Perth, where United’s squad are being worked harder than they have been for several summers on the first leg of their pre-season tour.

No visible outpourings of anger or resentment, just a clear message to his wantaway star midfielder that he can still find everything he is looking for at United, even if one imagines Pogba is having a hard time looking past last season’s league table, which shows a 32-point chasm to champions Manchester City.