'It's a big yes' - Man Utd boss Solskjaer excited by prospect of Pogba & Bruno Fernandes midfield partnership

Paul Pogba is raring to make his Manchester United return and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is confident that he can strike up a good partnership with Bruno Fernandes.

The France international has missed the majority of the campaign with various injury issues so has yet to link up with January signing Fernandes, with United manager Solskjaer excited about the prospect of the pair playing together.

"Good players can always play together, so definitely, they can - it's a big yes," Solskjaer told Sky Sports . "I think it's exciting. We do have an exciting squad. I've got Scott [McTominay], Fred, Nemanja [Matic].

"There's many games coming up and I'm sure we can find a good connection between them. We've been discussing that as a coaching team of course, and we're looking forward to it."

If and when football returns to resume the 2019-20 season, United should be boosted by the return of both Pogba and Marcus Rashford who have been working on their rehabilitation programmes during the enforced lockdown period.

Rashford has been sidelined for months with a back injury while Pogba has only made eight appearances all season.

Asked if the World Cup winner is raring to go when action does resume, Solskjaer commented: "Definitely. He’s had a difficult season with injuries, he said that himself.

"Of course Marcus has as well. For them two it gives them a chance to start on a par or even ahead of the other players. They have been focused mentally so it’s maybe easier for them to train harder now because they can see light at the end of the tunnel.

"It’s exciting, we do have an exciting squad. Bruno coming in and making an impact is great for everyone it was a boost for the club. Getting Pogba and Marcus back would be fantastic. Eric Bailly too, he came back and the performances he put in were fantastic. We’re in good shape fitness-wise. We are looking forward to starting when and if that will be."

United’s players who had been isolating overseas have returned ahead of a potential return to action and Andreas Pereira confirmed this week that a date of May 18 had been pencilled in for a possible return to the training ground.

But Solskjaer said he would not force any of his players back if they didn’t feel comfortable. He added: "No, you wouldn’t hold anything against them [if they didn’t want to play]. If a player isn’t mentally ready to play I don’t think we could force anyone.

"They’ve not raised too many concerns. We trust the experts and the health officers and who knows if and when it’s safe to start again."