Pogba admits he may have to alter penalty technique

Paul Pogba admitted he must change his penalty technique as Jose Mourinho praised the Manchester United midfielder’s mentality.

Pogba’s dithering 28-step run-up did not fool Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford during United’s win at Old Trafford yesterday. Pogba scored the rebound to spare his own blushes.

The stutter drew severe criticism from both Gary Neville and Graeme Souness but Mourinho has no issue with the 25-year-old continuing to take United’s spot kicks.

‘The thing I like is the desire to take it,’ Mourinho said. ‘Let me choose the words, I don’t want to be punished. I don’t like Mickey Mouses, the fragile, afraid to go, “I don’t take penalties”.

‘I like the player that says: “I want to take it.” Paul, can he improve? I think he can. The goalkeepers know his running, they don’t move and they are waiting for his decision so he has to learn from that. But for me the most important thing is he wants to go again.’

Pickford claimed he had telegraphed exactly what Pogba was planning and the Frenchman is ready to tinker with his style in future after also missing at Burnley earlier in the season.

‘I was lucky,’ Pogba said. ‘I always try and destabilise the keeper, maybe they know how I take penalties, maybe I should practice to change it, if the keepers know my step.’

Anthony Martial won that penalty before curling in a sumptuous second goal after half-time. Everton manager Marco Silva labelled Martial a diver.

‘It was not a penalty, clearly the player dived. It leaves a bad sensation,’ Silva said. ‘I told the players at half-time it was not a fair result.’

Mourinho, though, heaped praise on Martial. His haring back to defend deep in stoppage time did not go unnoticed and the United manager believes the winger’s attitude has altered.

‘He took quite a long time to understand what we want, quite a long time for his brain and body to be ready for how we want him to play,’ Mourinho added. ‘At the moment he is playing very well.

‘He is understanding things he did not before. He wants to play and he knows that to do that he has to go in a certain direction.

‘Even without the goal his performance would be a good performance. You cannot score every time you play, where you don’t assist but you have a certain balance. That is the way I think it is going now.’

Martial is yet to commit his future to United. The club owns an option to extend his deal by 12 months in the summer but negotiations have so far been tough.

Mourinho said: ‘He has the same natural talents he had one or two years ago but he is improving. In terms of my approach to my young players, that's the way I am. In the end, you have the rewards of that hard work if they don't give up and they don't have an entourage who supports their weaknesses.

‘Luke Shaw was strong and these people were good to him and now Anthony is becoming a better player.’