Paul Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola insists his client is only interested on playing on teams who will be challenging for the title.
Manchester United better get a shift on then.
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Speaking to our partners Sky Sports News in the UK, ‘super agent’ Raiola revealed that Pogba is happy enough at United right now as he’s returned to action after a three-month stint out injured.
“Paul has always respected Manchester United, as long as Manchester United has respected Paul. The only one that talks for Manchester United and Paul is Ole. I go by what he says; he will not move. That’s OK and we are good with them,” Raiola said. “Paul is struggling a little bit with his injury and that’s our main interest now. There’s one objective that Paul has and that is to perform as well as possible with Manchester United. He’s a top pro and I think that his heart is in the right place with Manchester United.”
Asked if he thought Pogba would be at United this time next year, Raiola was confident that would be the case but was also keen to stress that the French superstar wants to be winning trophies as he seemed to offer a warning to United’s hierarchy.
“Yes I can, but in a club that I hope fights for the league and hopefully the Champions League,” Raiola said. “Is that strange? Am I the only one that’s worried? Is the owner not worried? I think that everybody that is in love with Manchester United is worried about that. I’m worried about that for my player. I’m not a fan of Manchester United but I have a very direct interest.”
“As long as Paul is in Manchester United, he wants to win trophies with Manchester United. That’s the kind of player he is and he will not act differently. Like Ole’s saying, it’s a work in progress now this club. He’s says he’s working on a team for next year. Let’s hope that it goes well for him because the world needs Manchester United on the top. Clearly they are not where they think they should be.”
Raiola is saying what every Man United fans wants but this is clearly a long way away from happening.
His answers seem to mostly challenge the United board to spend big in the next few transfer windows as they are making progress but need more pieces to turn them into legitimate top four contenders again.
Despite his wishes to leave in the summer, Pogba will be a key part of this United rebuild under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. His quality on the ball stands out as he made a big impact against Watford and Newcastle on his first two games back but he then wasn’t fit enough to face Burnley.
He should play against Arsenal on New Year’s Day (Watch live, 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com) and 2020 is a big deal for Pogba and United.