Manchester United stepped up their preparation for the return of the Premier League yesterday with two friendly matches against Championship side West Brom.The Red Devils lost the first game against the Baggies 2-1, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side rallied in the second match to claim a 3-1 victory.Bruno Fernandes' penalty was United's only goal in the opening fixture, before a brace from Andreas Pereira and a strike from Tahith Chong saw the Premier League outfit claim revenge in the second.A selection of United players featured in both games in order to improve match sharpness ahead of the team's trip to Tottenham next Friday.It's a game that could prove pivotal in the race for Champions League football and may also be the first time United fans get a glimpse of Fernandes and Paul Pogba linking up in a competitive setting.The potential partnership between the pair has had United fans chomping at the bit for the restart of competitive football in England and footage of the two linking up for the first time against West Brom has now emerged.You can watch the two clips below.
The first snippet of footage sees Pogba float in a perfect cross for the on-rushing Fernandes, with the Portuguese steering his volley just wide of the post.
On the second occasion, the roles are reversed and Fernandes dinks a beautiful ball into the box for Pogba, who then headers the ball just over the crossbar.
It's interesting to see the pair are already interchanging roles in midfield and if they can continue to blossom as a partnership, United are going to be a serious problem in the coming weeks.
For years fans have hinted that the Red Devils need a player to 'unlock' Pogba and the general consensus was that the Frenchman required defensive assistance in the midfield.
But what if it was someone like Fernandes who was needed all along, a player in a similar mould to Pogba to accept some of the team's attacking burden from a deeper role?
There's definitely cause to be cautiously optimistic about this midfield collaboration, United fans.