Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Says He'll Build Around Paul Pogba Amid Real Madrid Links

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he plans to build his team around Paul Pogba amid rumours linking him with Real Madrid.

According to L'Equipe (h/t Football Whispers' Adam Newson on Sky Sports), Pogba is among Real's top targets ahead of a squad overhaul this summer, while AS' Sergio Gomez (h/t Mirror's Matt Maltby) reported United are only willing to sell him if they receive Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale in exchange.

Per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, Pogba was recently asked about Real Madrid and described the possibility of playing for them as a "dream," but Solskjaer said:

"I don't like to talk about other teams' players. But this is another challenge with international breaks. Players are available all the time as well and it's a different environment, more of a general talk.

"Paul is a very nice and polite man who then answered a general question.

"[Real manager Zinedine] Zidane is an icon in France, Zidane is a fantastic manager, he used to be a fantastic player, I played against him myself, and he's just politely answered that question, but Paul's happy here, he's gonna be a big, big part. You like to build your team around him and that hasn't changed at all."

Bleacher Report's Rob Blanchette shared Solskjaer's assessment and does not believe Pogba's comments should be taken as a sign the midfielder is pushing to leave Old Trafford for the Santiago Bernabeu:

Zidane also discussed Pogba's potential arrival in the Spanish capital:

Pogba has struggled for consistency since he rejoined United from Juventus in 2016 in an £89 million deal.

Perhaps his best spell at the club came immediately after Solskjaer replaced Jose Mourinho in December.

The Frenchman bagged nine goals and seven assists in his first 14 appearances under the new coach.

He has gone off the boil in recent weeks, though, and it's no coincidence United have been less convincing in that time.

The Red Devils needed a last-minute winner to beat Southampton 3-2 on March 2, and they followed that result up with back-to-back defeats at Arsenal and Wolverhampton Wanderers. On Saturday, United beat Watford 2-1, but they were fortunate the Hornets were so wasteful in front of goal.

Football writer Tom McDermott has been disappointed in Pogba:

Per Goal's Sacha Pisani, Solskjaer has called on the 26-year-old to exert more influence on the team:

"We want Paul to be both on and off the ball a good player for us.

"We want him to be influential with the way we play. Sometimes that means up as an eight into the box, sometimes to control the game, drop down deeper.

"Against Watford, he had to drop down to get a hold of the ball. Every single game is going to be different until the end of the season.

"We haven't really nailed down one way of playing. We've got three or four different ways of playing. That's the beauty of Paul—that he can do both."

If Pogba were to join Real in the summer, Kroos and Bale's arrivals could make his departure more palatable. The former is a controlling presence in midfield, while the latter is a proven match-winner at the highest level.

Whether he remains this summer or moves on, United need Pogba to get back to his best form for the final stretch of the campaign.

They'll take on Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, and they need to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League to qualify for Europe's premier club competition next season—unless they win it this year.

If Pogba is consistently making match-winning contributions as he was earlier in Solskjaer's reign, their task will be much more achievable.