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Man Utd news: 'Paul Pogba’s fate is completely sealed, he’ll be gone in January’ - Ince
MANCHESTER UNITED star Paul Pogba will be SOLD in January.
Man United: Selling Paul Pogba is 'logical' says Jordan
That’s according to Paul Ince who reckons the maverick midfielder will be packing his bags.
Jose Mourinho’s relationship with his star man has become increasingly fractured.
United were dumped out of the EFL Cup to Derby on Monday and Mourinho’s rift with Pogba has escalated even further.
The ex-Juventus ace was dropped for the cup clash against the Championship outfit.
No one is bigger than Manchester United
Mourinho has also stripped the France international of the vice captaincy.
Yesterday, during training at Manchester United’s Carrington complex, Pogba was seen glaring at his manager when he jogged onto the field.
Mourinho appeared to rile Pogba which resulted in the midfielder giving his manager an icy stare.
Ince says Pogba - who was courted by Barcelona in the summer - will be a goner if chief executive Ed Woodward steps in.
“I said weeks ago that someone needed to put this situation to bed,” he told Paddy Power.
“No one is bigger than Manchester United, yet somehow Pogba thinks he is.
“There’s been an issue between them for a long time, and it’s been allowed to spiral out of control and get into the mess it’s in now.
“If this was happening under Sir Alex [Ferguson], he’d have said one thing; ‘He’s going. Get rid of him now.’
“Because there’s no chance he’d allow his team to become a joke because of Paul Pogba’s behaviour.
“I think his fate is completely sealed and he’ll be gone in January.
“There’s talk of Mourinho going before him, but I’d be disgraced if Ed Woodward allowed that to happen.
“If you do that, you’re essentially allowing a player to become bigger than the manager and the rest of his team.
“It’s time for Woodward to step up and back Jose.
“If he tells him that he’s upsetting the dressing room and still not playing at the level he should be, then he needs to back the manager and let him go.
“Pogba has caused far more trouble than he has good since returning to Manchester United.”
Another former Premier League midfielder, Craig Burley, says Mourinho made the right call initially taking away Pogba’s leadership responsibilities.
“Whether you like Mourinho or not, Pogba has hardly been absolutely wonderful for Manchester United since joining,” Burley told ESPN FC.
“But you can’t have, as a manager, a guy out undermining you like that and getting away with it.
“So I think it’s understandable.
“If someone is criticising your tactics, you’re not just going to sit there and take it.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, there are too many at Manchester United prepared to hide behind the flak that Jose Mourinho is taking for his style of play.
“I’m not saying Mourinho is innocent, he’s clearly not, but there are too many players hiding.”
* Paul Ince was speaking exclusively to Paddy Power News. To read more, visit news.paddypower.com