Reports: Manchester United superstar wants to leave the club in January
What's the rumour?
Reports from the Italian-based newspaper Tuttosport suggesting that Manchester United's World Cup winner Paul Pogba wants to leave the club to join his former club Juventus in the January transfer window.
This will be a big blow for Manchester United, the news will add salt to the wounds as the club is already in deep trouble by dropping six points out of a possible nine and lagging behind their city rivals already by four points and it will be impossible to catch them if they continue to play like this.
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The French midfielder earned plaudits with his performance for the national team in the World Cup; He was one of France's key players in their World Cup triumph.
But the situation is different in England, with Pogba failing to light up Old Trafford as good as he was expected to, after his then world-record transfer of £89 million from Juventus.
Pogba has often been inconsistent since his return to United with many fans citing Jose Mourinho's tactics, that seem to be confining Pogba unlike his National Team, where he ran the show in the World Cup. Though it could be argued that he is not surrounded by the players of highest order like at France, Pogba himself is to be blamed partly for his poor outings.
Even Mourinho admitted that Pogba finds it difficult to maintain high standards for a season-long unlike in the World Cup.
“It’s about him giving the best he has to give. I think the World Cup is the perfect habitat for a player like him to give the best. Why? Because it’s closed for a month, where he can only think about football. Where he’s with his team in training camp, completely isolated from the external world, where they focus just on football, where the dimensions of the game can only motivate."
Mourinho and Pogba's relationship slumped after their bust-up during last season's game against Tottenham. Since then Mourinho has often dropped Pogba in some games and it has taken a toll on the performances of the French star up to some extent.
The heart of the matter.
Although it is evident that the relationship between Mourinho and Pogba was not like before, Pogba returned to the club and Mourinho handed him the captain's responsibilities to make things better, but it didn't seem to work as the Frenchman gave a clue after his team's victory over Leicester City that there is something not right behind the scenes.
Pogba, when asked whether he was happy at the club, said:
“There are things I cannot say, otherwise I will get fined.”
With Pogba seeming unhappy at the club, Barcelona was thought to have a go-to lure him away from Old Trafford. With rumours heavily linked him to the Catalan Club, Ed Woodward resisted any such move.
Even the Barcelona player Gerard Pique admitted that Barcelona would love to have Pogba.
"Barcelona would be happy to have Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba at the La Liga club because they want the best players."
Amidst these rumours came the sensational tweets from his agent, Mino Raiola, from which it is clearly understood that Pogba wants a move out of the 'Theatre of Dreams.' If Paul really wanted to stay at United he would have condemned such tweets from his agent.
How much does the rumour make sense: 3/10
The report came from an Italian newspaper Tuttosport that is unreliable. It is understandable that they want to take advantage of the situation between Pogba and the club and speculate on it.
Pogba's skills video:
What's next?
Although it is clearly understood that Pogba is unsettled at the moment, we can't tell where his future will be. Barcelona is strong favourites to land the star man, but a move to his old club Juventus can't be written off if he pushes for an exit. Since the Bianconeris are building a sensational squad around Ronaldo, Pogba's addition could be amazing.
It is highly unlikely for Manchester United to replace Pogba if he leaves. And Ed Woodward could not let one of their huge business prospects leave. Fans also love him very much as they know that any kind of tactical or motivational change to his current situation will bring the best out of him and they are yet to witness the full power of him and selling him will deteriorate their loyalty with the board.