Solskjaer has aimed a dig at Real Madrid boss, Zinedine Zidane over his comments on Paul Pogba. Manchester United’s French star Pogba fueled speculation during the last international break that he could depart Old Trafford by claiming that a move to European giants Real Madrid would be a dream.This would not be the first time that Paul Pogba has been linked with a move away from Manchester United. Last season, ahaead of a crucial title decider against bitter rivals; Manchester City, Pep Guardiola revealed that Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola offered Pogba to him in January 2018.
The former Juventus man was also frequently linked with a move away from Man Utd in the first half of the season, as the midfielder feuded with Jose Mourinho. Mourinho labeled Pogba a virus in the dressing room and claimed that he did not want the club to succeed after a misunderstanding surrounding Instagram.
The former Real Madrid manager is well known for wanting to put his stamp on his players and being the strongest force in the dressing room. The Portuguese boss often dropped the France star from his starting line-up, and stripped him of his vice-captaincy in a public display of defiance.
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was never short of an opinion when it came to Real Madrid’s way of doing business. He lost stars such as Ruud Van Nistelrooy, David Beckham, Gabriel Heinze, Javier Hernandez, and Cristiano Ronaldo to the Madrid giants.
Six months before Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United for the Bernabeu, Ferguson blasted that he “wouldn’t sell them a virus” having previously questioned Madrid’s morals and praised the Glazers for their “to hell with them” attitude to the Spanish giants, who the Scot also referred to as “that mob”.
But Pogba’s future may yet lie away from Old Trafford, with the 26-year-old declaring his admiration for Real Madrid at a press conference with the French national team on Wednesday. The French World Cup winner also claimed that playing for a football icon like Zinedine Zidane would tempt any footballer of this generation.
“Like I’ve always said, Real Madrid is a dream for anyone. It’s one of the biggest clubs in the world,” Pogba said. “There is also Zinedine Zidane as a coach and it’s a dream for anybody who likes football. For now, I’m at Manchester. We don’t know what the future holds. I’m at Manchester and I’m happy.”
Adding fire to the speculations, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane replied that he likes Manchester United’s Paul Pogba a lot and that the midfielder knows how to do everything on the pitch. “I know him personally,” said former France captain Zidane before Real’s La Liga match against Huesca on Sunday.
“He brings so much and there are few players who bring as much as he does. He’s a midfielder who knows how to defend and how to attack,” added Zidane, who returned to Real Madrid on 11 March less than 10 months after leaving the Bernabeu. But he is not my player, he is at Manchester.”
“He has always said that, after Manchester, Madrid has always interested him. So when his experience at Manchester ends, why not come here to Madrid?”
Ahead of the Premier League fixture with Watford, it was inevitable that these comments were tabled in front of new Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as nobody wants to be faced with the prospects of losing their best player at the beginning of their stay.
The former Manchester United striker aimed a dig at ‘Zizou’ when he started his response to the question by saying: “I don’t like to talk about other teams’ players.” He then went on to defend Pogba and explained the situation that the midfield star found himself in.
“He’s just politely answered that question but Paul’s happy here, he’s going to be a big, big part. I have always said you would like to build your team around him and that hasn’t changed at all,” he explained.
“No, it doesn’t really concern me because my thought of action then is to sit down and speak to Paul. And I’ve had my chat with Paul and we’re fine. He’s going to do his utmost here because he knows I’m very fond of him as a player and a person and he is important for us. There is no issue. He’s important here.”
Paul Pogba is the sort of talent that would continue to draw attraction from the biggest clubs in the world but he is at Manchester United. Real Madrid may continue to try to lure him away and the chances of playing for his idol, Zidane would be very tempting.
However, Pogba would aim to win some titles at his boyhood club after dominating the Italian Serie A with Turin giants; Juventus. When Pogba has won the league and other things at Manchester United, he may feel the need to move to Real Madrid especially if he is still hunting for the Champions League title.