Brighton vs Manchester United: Paul Pogba must sort out his future as new Seagulls signings impress

Brighton 3-2 Manchester United: Five things we learned as Brighton comfortably beat Manchester United at The Amex

Manchester United’s turbulent last couple of months could be set to last a little longer after they were beaten 3-1 at The Amex stadium.

Brighton were the dominant side and deserved their half time lead. Glenn Murray and Shane Duffy's goals two minutes and 23 seconds apart from each other gave the home side a decent lead early in the game.

Romelu Lukaku got one back for United, but Eric Bailey lunged in on Pascal Gross in the box and the German midfielder converted from the spot.

Here’s five things we learned from The Amex stadium

Brighton deserved their win (Getty)

United must sort out Pogba’s future

For all the talk, the rumours, the dismissing reports and the clarifications, something just isn’t right. At the World Cup, Paul Pogba was running the show for France and playing in the way he was expected to when he joined Manchester United from Juventus for a then-world record £90m fee.

In a disjointed and unimaginative midfield, Pogba showed glimpses of being the key player that was going to take charge and turn this game around for the visitors. But these moments were far and few. As the game wore on, the number of times he gave away the ball, slowed the play down or flapped his arms in frustration increased.

The quality was still there though, and he eventually got the better of Matthew Ryan from the spot late in the match.

Mourinho insisted before the game that he has “never been so happy” with Pogba as he dismissed claims the two had an angry exchange after the midfielder said he feared being fined if he spoke about his happiness. What the United manager will not be happy about is how this situation has needlessly escalated to the point where it is seriously impacting results.

With the armband on again, there was something missing from Pogba. Not technically, but a mentality to lead a comeback. The longer this goes on, the longer United’s rivals will remain above them in the table. You get the feeling that this will end by either Mourinho or Pogba leaving, but for the club’s sake they must work out their differences.

Pogba and Mourinho need to sort iron out their relationship (EPA)

Glenn Murray has another season left in him, at least

You may have had to double take to make sure it was actually Glenn Murray who cleverly lifted Gaitan Bong’s low cross over David De Gea to make sure it was not Lionel Messi.

The 34-year-old started his 14th season as a professional footballer but showed no signs of slowing down as he expertly led the line for Brighton. His goal, taking the number of teams he has scored against to 80, shows that he has at least one more Premier League season in him.

When Bong collected the ball on the left he read the situation perfectly and got his goal. In the absence of Bailey, he darted towards the front post, beating Lindelof to the ball, and lifted it over De Gea with the outside of his foot, which left the goalkeeper scratching his head wondering how he did it.

Glenn Murray scored a sublime opener (Getty)

Squad depth a concern for Mourinho

Without wishing to continually compare Manchester United to Manchester City, Pep Guardiola’s side were able to rest Kyle Walker, Raheem Sterling, replace Kevin De Bruyne and still put six past Huddersfield.

Alexis Sanchez had a minor knock which meant Juan Mata started on the right flank and you had to check the team sheet to actually see if he was there, there was no impact.

Ashley Young and Luke Shaw had an off day at the back and Fred was poor in the middle. The worrying thing in this underwhelming performance is that this team was close to Manchester United’s best starting side. 19-year-old Diogo Dalot, Sanchez and Jesse Lingard are probably the only players to come in, but will they really make much difference, because without them they looked very average.

Lingard came on from the bench but United lacked squad depth (Getty)

Brighton new recruits settle well

Both summer signings Martin Montoya and Leon Balogun may have been forgiven for a slow start against Manchester United on their Brighton debuts, but they were more than ready.

At right-back, Montoya was successful in limiting Martial and Marcus Rashford’s advances, and Balogun slotted in well when he was brought on from the bench to replace Lewis Dunk, who picked up an early injury.

Brighton’s new arrivals are often unknown players to the Premier League, it’s a unique approach, but it’s proving incredibly successful.

Montoya impressed on his debut (Getty)

Flawed transfer window haunts United

In an unsurprising turn of events, United’s disjointed and ill-planned summer transfer window has left Jose Mourinho’s side short in several areas.

The main concern is obviously in central defence. Mourinho was determined to bring a seasoned defender to Old Trafford to tighten up their suspect back line. Diego Godin, Harry Maguire and Tony Alderweireld were all in the manager’s sights, but the club’s board wanted a younger face.

Eric Bailey and Victor Lindelof started together for the second game in a row but looked like strangers at The Amex. When Brighton turned over the ball they were miles apart and reading from different scripts. There was a lack of communication which allowed Brighton’s attackers to drag them out of position and create space for their teammates, something a more experienced defender might be able to eradicate.