Paul Pogba should think twice before leaving Man Utd for Turin or Madrid

“I can say it’s over for Paul Pogba at Manchester United.”

Mino Raiola couldn’t have made the intentions of his most prestigious client clearer on the eve of Manchester United’s landmark Champions League trip to RB Leipzig last month.

His comments certainly didn’t help the team – United fell out of the competition after a collapse in the first half. They were on a road to nowhere except the Europa League, struggling to achieve national goals, and Pogba wasn’t even considered an auto starter by his manager. His reasons for wanting to leave were understandable.

But how can things change …

Paul Pogba is now unbeatable. He’s in great shape that we’ve rarely seen him produce in red. He looks in good shape after battling the coronavirus. He has the confidence of his manager. He is decisive, scoring two winning goals in his last three league games. And he’s starting to feel the potential for success United sold him on his return in 2016 – they hold the top of the Premier League table halfway through the season.

The Frenchman has made a habit in recent weeks of showing up for interviews with British television channels. His message is clear: he is the happiest when he wins. He wants to play football. He hates being on the bench. And as it is, whatever he wants he gets.

Since then, we’ve rarely heard from Raiola. But it has been his job throughout Pogba’s career to maximize the money in his pocket and push for transfers to take place even when the timing is extremely awkward. We all remember Pogba and Manchester City talking days before he inspired a comeback to delay City winning the title, while sporting sky blue hair.

As it stands, Raiola is still trying to fabricate an exit – which she is maintained by 90 mins sources that Pogba always wants – to one from Juventus or Real Madrid. The power is in the hands of the player and his agent, and United is generally expected to cash in at the end of the season – or seek a swap deal worthy of one of the most talented midfielders in the world. world.

Are there Actually best options out there?

This question is the point of what you are reading, really.

No one doubts that Real Madrid and Juventus are two of the biggest clubs in the world. But it’s safe enough to say at this point that Pogba would return to the transitional period he has been trying to escape in Manchester for years by ending up in the Spanish capital or Turin.

United broke their promises to Pogba during his contract. But an outing this year would be jumping ship just as they’re suggesting they’re finally capable of doing it, as uncertainty grips its main suitors. It doesn’t make sense for a player who turns 28 in two months – at the peak of his career – to have to acclimatize to two clubs that aren’t shooting all the cylinders themselves.

And Juventus?

Juventus are ten points behind in Serie A and outside the Champions League places under a manager who only completed his coach badges just four months ago. They can’t afford to renew the contract of one of their best players and end up with an aging squad who have missed their best chance at winning the Champions League.

Your annual reminder that this is a contest they haven’t won since 1996, by the way.

90 minutes Juventus resident expert and English feature editor, Jack Gallagher, can give you more context.

“Paul Pogba is the signing of the ‘dream’ for Juventus. He is exactly the kind of player their midfielder has sorely needed since leaving for Man Utd five years ago.

“Unfortunately for Juve, at the moment the club shouldn’t really to be such an attractive prospect for a player like Pogba – a player in his prime looking to win every trophy known to man.

“They still work for all the super Cristiano Ronaldo fans, but as a sports project Juventus is not in the best place. The dream of winning the Champions League is very clearly dead in the water, and even their hold on the scudetto. is apparently on the verge of being broken this season. The idea is more beautiful than the reality.

“As such, La Vecchia Signora looks set to embark on a period of transition in which the old guard is replaced by young hopefuls. We have seen this transition period in action already over the past six months with Federico Chiesa, Dejan Kulusevski and co. coming to Turin, but it’s pretty clear there’s still a long way to go before Juve can once again be seen as real Champions League contenders.

“Oh and to top it off, Juve absolutely cannot afford Pogba without continuing to compromise himself. While paying Ronaldo € 31million a year after tax (yes, after tax), Juventus can barely afford their current squad, let alone another superstar. It hardly makes any commercial sense. “

Real Madrid aren’t perfect either

Real Madrid had one of the darkest moments in their history on Wednesday night, falling to defeat 10-man Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey. This team plays in the third division and has a 41-year-old goaltender between the sticks. Zinedine Zidane, one of the main reasons for Pogba’s desire to join them, has never felt pressure like this before.

Florentino Perez is preparing a summer squad redesign that includes the signing of Kylian Mbappe and David Alaba, while a family member of Eduardo Camavinga could also follow. But Real Madrid are certainly not the team that have won four Champions League titles in five years, as 90 minutes editor-in-chief in Spain Andrew Headspeath Explain.

“Real Madrid will always have a serious appeal to any player, while the club remain among the favorites for trophies pretty much every season. However, just like with Juventus, the team have issues that go beyond their surface appeal.

“Pogba has been a bit of an obsession for Zidane for quite some time, but after Wednesday’s result there are serious doubts he will even do it. be there to take them beyond 2020/21.

“Whoever the manager is, Madrid are a club in transition. This season, they’ve been caught between two eras; Namely, the old guard superpowers (Karim Benzema, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos etc) and the talented but inexperienced youngster that they have invested so much in in recent seasons, Pogba is expected to lead a unit similar to United under Solskjaer.

“The expiration of contracts and the cost reduction imposed by the pandemic means that more club legends could disappear this summer, raising a crying need to take another route.

“Pogba might appreciate the prestige and pressure of being the next Galactico, but he will also be aware of the fate of Philippe Coutinho and Eden Hazard, who left the Premier League for the Spanish super clubs and were largely swallowed up – with their own performance. only partially to blame for their failures. “

So where does that leave Pogba?

On the surface, you still expect one of these moves to go through regardless of the boundaries, as long as the desire is there, but Paul Pogba really should be wondering if the grass is actually greener on the other side before. to make a decision.

Adding that United will pay him the best contract of the three and that makes even less sense.

Another alternative could well be Paris Saint-Germain, who cannot be ruled out, but they face their own issues knowing that Kylian Mbappe himself has a year-long contract at Paris. It’s an easy route to domestic trophies, but their own Champions League title remains elusive.

Manchester United are, in current planning, one summer away from an efficient and complete playing squad, and before we get there signs are starting to appear that the darker days may be behind them. They may be four players away from having the quality to match the most in Europe and you expect them to fix those issues before next season.

He will keep his head down and keep trying to do his best, before deciding where he is going rather than leaving based on what we already know. But he could finally get closer to the Manchester United whom he always wanted to join in the first place.

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