Paul Pogba wants to leave Manchester United and join Juventus in the January transfer window, according to reports in Italy.
The 25-year-old was re-signed by United from Juventus for £89 million just over two years ago. But the World Cup-winning midfielder has struggled for consistency during his two seasons under Jose Mourinho. Pogba was involved in a heated bust-up with the United boss last term, which led him to be dropped from the team.
Pogba was also said to be unhappy with Mourinho’s analysis of his performances for France at this summer’s World Cup in Russia.
According to Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, Pogba’s poor relationship with Mourinho is the driving force behind his desire to leave Old Trafford, and the midfielder is planning a return to his former club where he would link up with Cristiano Ronaldo.
This will be a big blow for Manchester United. The news will add salt to the wounds as the club is already in deep trouble having dropped six points out of a possible nine and lagging behind their city rivals already by four points. It will be impossible to catch them if they continue to play like this.
Should Paul Pogba complete a shock return to Juventus, the France international would be able to play for the Italian club in the Champions League as UEFA have removed the ‘cup-tied’ rule from their competitions as of this season. Pogba is set to take on his former club in the Champions League group stage as United have been drawn alongside Juventus, Valencia and Young Boys in Group H.
Even Mourinho admitted that Pogba finds it difficult to maintain high standards for a season-long unlike in the World Cup.
“It’s about him giving the best he has to give. I think the World Cup is the perfect habitat for a player like him to give the best. Why? Because it’s closed for a month, where he can only think about football.
Where he’s with his team in training camp, completely isolated from the external world, where they focus just on football, where the dimensions of the game can only motivate.”
Mourinho and Pogba’s relationship slumped after their bust-up during last season’s game against Tottenham. Since then, Mourinho has dropped Pogba in some games and it has taken a toll on the performances of the French star up to some extent.
I think it will be damaging for United to let go off Paul Pogba in January. He is an essential part of that United set up, both on and off the field. And they have shown that Pogba is a bigger character than Mourinho. So, if Pogba wants to leave, they will try to keep him and to his wish, try to bring another manager in place of Mourinho.
