“I hope to have the same success he did” – 25-year-old previously linked to Manchester United wants to emulate Paul Pogba at new club
Juventus star Dennis Zakaria has revealed he is trying to emulate Manchester United star Paul Pogba during a recent press conference.
The Swiss international was signed by Juventus from Borussia Mönchengladbach during the recent winter transfer window.
When the winter transfer window opened, Dennis Zakaria was reported as a player who could be sold by Borussia Mönchengladbach in January. As a result, many European clubs had the Swiss international's name on their wish list.
The likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Juventus were heavily linked with the 25-year-old. At one point, many thought United would seal the deal as the club have been looking to sign a defensive midfielder since the start of the 2021-22 season. However, The Red Devils decided to back off from signing the defensive midfielder which gave Juventus a huge boost to sign Zakaria.
On the final day of the transfer window, the Old Lady struck a deal with Borussia Mönchengladbach to sign Dennis Zakaria for a transfer fee of €8.60 million. Juve's new number 28 will certainly provide a huge boost to midfield and will certainly help Manuel Locatelli play a slightly more advanced role while playing in a double pivot.
Juventus’ new midfielder, Denis Zakaria, has arrived 📸 https://t.co/7OrzvCUZcl
During his player reveal press conference, Dennis Zakaria revealed that he would like to emulate what Manchester United star Paul Pogba did during his stint with the Old Lady. He also reminded everyone that he is here to leave his mark as a player and called himself a complete player during the press conference.
"We all know Pogba, we know what he did and left to Juve. I hope to have the same success he did, but I have my identity and I hope to find my path and leave my mark."
"Describe my characteristics? I am aggressive, I love to recover the ball, but also to defend and help, I can describe myself as a fairly complete player.” said Dennis Zakaria.
It will be a huge boon for Juventus if Zakaria could mirror the same impact that the Manchester United star Paul Pogba had when he donned the black and white jersey. The French midfielder joined Juve for free in 2012 and left the club four years later as the most expensive football player back then. Pogba made a total of 178 appearances for the Bianconeri and ended up scoring 34 goals and 40 assits for his team.
Manchester United star Paul Pogba is likely to return to action this weekend
Manchester United superstar Paul Pogba could make a return to the first team during the FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough. The former Juventus star missed a total of 14 games this season due to a hamstring injury. Pogba is now fully fit and has been training with the first team. According to the latest report from the Daily Star, United fans could witness Paul Pogba in action when the Red Devils take on Middlesbrough FC in an FA Cup tie this weekend.
Paul Pogba training with the first team 😍 https://t.co/wiNE3MbMDy
The match could well be Pogba's first appearance under the guidance of interim manager Ralf Rangnick. Fans are eagerly waiting to see how Pogba will fit into the tactical setup of the German coach. Manchester United will be closely monitoring Pogba's performance as the player only has five months left on his contract.