Man Utd boss Solskjaer backed to sell Paul Pogba ‘quickly’ if Real Madrid do one thing
MANCHESTER UNITED manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will sanction Paul Pogba’s move to Real Madrid “quickly” if the club’s valuation of the midfielder is met.
Manchester United: Paul Pogba trains with squad in Perth
That’s the verdict of Kevin Kilbane.
Paul Pogba teased his desire to leave Old Trafford back in June when he told journalists in the Far East that it might be the right time for a new challenge three years after returning to Manchester United for a club-record £89million fee.
Amid links to Real Madrid and Juventus, the France international’s agent Mino Raiola has also since declared that “everyone knows the willingness of Paul to move on”.
He told The Times: “We are in the process of that. Everyone knows what the feelings of Paul are. Everyone within the club, from the manager to the owner, knows Paul's wishes."
But United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is determined to keep the 26-year-old in Manchester, with the club even reportedly upping their price-tag from £150m to in excess of £180m in light of Raiola’s comments.
With Real Madrid having spent nearly £250m already this summer, the La Liga giants do not have the finances to sign Pogba unless they oversee a raft of outgoings to balance the scales or unless they could negotiate a player-plus-cash agreement.
But although Solskjaer has hailed Pogba publicly and insists he wants to make the World Cup winner a pivotal part of his new-look United team, former Everton midfielder Kilbane thinks the Norwegian would happily wave goodbye to the player if Madrid agreed to their demands.
Player-turned-pundit Kilbane told Off The Ball: “I think he’s saying that. I think he’s playing the game. Clearly there’s an agenda with Mino Raiola, his agent and United as a club.
Man Utd boss Solskjaer backed to sell Paul Pogba ‘quickly’ if Real Madrid do one thing (Image: GETTY)
Man Utd boss Solskjaer backed to sell Paul Pogba ‘quickly’ if Real Madrid do one thing (Image: GETTY)
Man Utd boss Solskjaer backed to sell Paul Pogba ‘quickly’ if Real Madrid do one thing (Image: GETTY)
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If there’s a deal on the table and the money United want I think they’ll do it quickly and they will get rid if that deal can be done
Kevin Kilbane
“He’s trying to push for a move Raiola, trying to get him away. Solskjaer’s playing the game and trying to get as much money as they can if he were to move.
“If that deal can’t be done, if they can’t get it over the line and Pogba is then sat at United come September, where does that leave him? He has to say the right thing Solskjaer within this.
“If there’s a deal on the table and the money United want I think they’ll do it quickly and they will get rid if that deal can be done.
“I think he’s playing the game, saying the right things publicly. I think if Pogba’s gone, Solskjaer will look better.
Man Utd boss Solskjaer backed to sell Paul Pogba ‘quickly’ if Real Madrid do one thing (Image: GETTY)
Man Utd boss Solskjaer backed to sell Paul Pogba ‘quickly’ if Real Madrid do one thing (Image: YOUTUBE/OFFTHEBALL)
Man Utd will only sell Pogba for ‘superstar signing’ says pundit
Man Utd boss Solskjaer backed to sell Paul Pogba ‘quickly’ if Real Madrid do one thing (Image: GETTY)
“We know there’s a problem, everyone watching United know full well that Pogba is the problem.
“They can’t seem to fit him into the system that they play, certainly didn’t fit him into a Jose Mourinho system where you have to be a lot more disciplined.
“Solskjaer’s gone in, given him a bit more freedom, scored a few more goals, but United are lacking in many areas and they need I would feel more disciplined players than Pogba.
“There’s not enough quality around him to give him the luxury of playing a freer role.”