Bristol City loanee compared to Manchester United ace Pogba

It was Dolan’s free-kick that earned County all three points against Grimsby Town on Saturday but Bakinson’s man-of-the-match performance was the talk of Rodney Parade.

Manager Michael Flynn labelled Bakinson’s display “absolutely outstanding” after the victory, which lifted the Exiles to fifth in the table.

And Dolan was happy to add to the plaudits ahead of tonight’s Carabao Cup clash with Oxford United, comparing the Bristol City loanee to World Cup winner Pogba.

“The kid is fantastic and he’s only going to get better,” said Dolan of the 19-year-old.

“He’s a pleasure to play with. He’s like a mini-Pogba.

“He’s comfortable on the ball but he’s adapting his game as well when teams are pressing him.

“He knows when to turn it, when to take that extra touch and when to drive forward.

“He was fantastic and he fully deserved his man of the match award.

“If he keeps putting in performances like that we’ll do well and, as I say, he’s only going to get better.

“If he could shoot he’d be an absolute worldie!”

Bakinson revealed earlier this month that Manchester United ace Pogba is one of his biggest inspirations.

“I look up to Paul Pogba quite a lot just because he has the same kind of stature as me,” said the 6ft 1ins teenager.

“He plays like I would like to play so I would have to say Paul Pogba is a real inspiration.

“I feel like we both have the same athleticism, so I look up to him a lot.

“I need to add more goals into my game, which is something he is doing now. It’s all about learning and improving really.”

Dolan can certainly give Bakinson some tips on finding the net, especially from set-pieces.

“I had one just before, which was a bit further out, but once I have my eye in I fancy myself,” said the 25-year-old of his winning goal at the weekend.

“I practise them a lot in training so it’s nice to see that pay off.

“I think it’s massive to get another three points because you build that momentum at the start of the season.

“But we’ll stay humble, we’ll keep our feet on the ground and keep working hard and who knows where we can go?”

Dolan, who is struggling with a groin strain, hopes to be fit for tonight’s home tie against League One Oxford and he knows that if he does drop out there are no guarantees that he will reclaim a starting spot.

“Injuries are obviously frustrating but we won’t force it,” he said. “I’ll do what’s right for my body.

“I’ll get assessed. It’s a little niggling injury but I want to play every game I can.

“And when the spirit’s high and the confidence is there you don’t want to be stopping or being in and out of the team.

“The amount of quality we’ve got in the squad with Coops [Charlie Cooper] and Crofty [Andrew Crofts] coming back means there is competition for places so I want to play.”