Jose Mourinho ready to pair Paul Pogba and Michael Carrick as Man United's first-choice midfield duo

The French star finally completed his protracted transfer from Juventus this week as Mourinho finally landed his fourth signing of the summer

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has hailed the all-round prowess of £90million new signing Paul Pogba and indicated that the French star is set to line up alongside Michael Carrick at the heart of his first-choice midfield.

Pogba finally completed his protracted transfer from Juventus this week, joining United for a world record fee from the Italian transfers.

The midfielder returns to England four years after walking out on the Red Devils, having grown frustrated at a lack of opportunities under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Mourinho had earmarked Pogba as one of four key men he wanted to sign this summer, alongside other new boys Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Now Pogba is set to become a mainstay at the heart of United's midfield, although there have been questions over how he will be accommodated by Mourinho.

Man Utd via Getty Paul Pogba poses after signing for Manchester United
Paul Pogba poses after signing for Manchester United

United lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in the Community Shield win over Leicester, a formation in which Pogba failed to impress during France's Euro 2016 run to the final.

But amid suggestions that a move to 4-3-3 - which Mourinho used during his initial spell at Chelsea to win back-to-back Premier League titles - could be implemented to try and get the best out of their new signing.

However, Mourinho has suggested that he will continue with his current set-up - and that he sees the tactically intelligent Carrick as a crucial part of his new era at Old Trafford.

Getty Michael Carrick of Manchester United in action during a first team training session at Aon Training Complex
Crucial: Carrick has been with United for 10 years
REUTERS Paul Pogba reacts after the game
Struggle: Pogba didn't have the greatest Euro 2016 playing in a deep role
Plumb Images
Fan: Mourinho likes Carrick's intelligence

"We have Michael Carrick, a 34 or 35-year-old-man, said Mourinho, speaking exclusively to BT Sport. "[He is] Stable, intelligent, to play as one man in front of the defenders, give us all the stability, he knows everything. Tactically, very intelligent.

"We have people like Schneiderlin, Herrera, also play as that, they have experience of the Premier League but after that we have Number 10s. Mata we have, we have possibly Rooney, we have Mkhitaryan, we have number 10s.

"We don't [didn't] have what I used to call the second midfield player.

"The one that is strong enough, is powerful enough, has defensive intensity but at the same time has creativity, has goals, has arrival into finishing areas. He [Pogba] drives the midfield forward.

"We have passers, we don't have runners with the ball. So he's the profile of player we found."

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