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Mino Raiola: Paul Pogba 'Wants to Be Successful' at Man United Amid Exit Rumours
December 20, 2019
Agent Mino Raiola has said his client Paul Pogba wants to stay at Manchester United amid speculation regarding a possible transfer.
David McDonnell of the Daily Mirror reported that key figures in the club's hierarchy believe the France international has played his last game for the Red Devils. Pogba has been sidelined with injury since September.
Real Madrid were linked with a move for Pogba in the summer. Raiola told Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph there was interest from the Spanish giants, but he also noted Pogba is happy to stay at Old Trafford:
"Paul wants to be successful and happy and wants to win prizes, and he would love to do that with Manchester United. OK, there was big interest from Real Madrid and Manchester didn't let him go. We didn't make a fuss about it, and he didn't make a fuss about it because I work in accordance with the player.
"You know other players can bring things to extreme, but Paul doesn't like that. So you work differently. There was an interest from Real Madrid but they (United) didn't let him go and I'm sorry because I think that Paul being French then (Zinedine) Zidane is an important factor in French football history."
Raiola then went on to defend the character of Pogba: "He is working every day and doing his best. He's not complaining there is no Champions League. Is he perfect? Nobody is."
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was asked about the speculation on Friday and dismissed any suggestion that Pogba would be on the move midseason:
Despite the talk regarding his future, Simon Peach of the Press Association noted that Pogba appears to be in good spirits still:
Rumours about Pogba's future were relentless during the summer months, with Real Madrid continually linked with the midfielder.
Los Blancos parted with huge money to revamp their squad ahead of the campaign, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Rodrygo Goes and Ferland Mendy moving to the club. United held firm amid interest in Pogba, though.
He continues to divide opinion among supporters, but the 26-year-old brings something to the United midfield that no other player in the squad can.
WhoScored.com summed up how influential he is on the team at the start of the campaign:
It's understandable that Solskjaer will not entertain any idea of a sale in the January window, as the Red Devils are set to have a busy 2020.
They are into the Carabao Cup semi-finals and the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League; they also have the FA Cup to play for, as well as a spot in the Premier League's top four. When Pogba returns to fitness, he'll be a big boost to their hopes of success in all of those competitions.