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Tag: Pogba

  • Pogba calls on Man Utd to be ‘bad losers’

    Pogba calls on Man Utd to be ‘bad losers’

    Paul Pogba wants Manchester United to be “bad losers”, with the French midfielder looking for the battling qualities which have been so apparent away from home this season to be replicated on home soil.

    The Red Devils are heading into a “decisive” week that will see them take in vital fixtures at home and abroad.

    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will be heading back out on the road when they pay a visit to RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Tuesday.

    A positive result is required in that contest if United are to extend their campaign amid the European elite into the round of 16.

    Once that game is out of the way, attention will then switch to an eagerly-anticipated derby date with arch-rivals Manchester City.

    Victory in that contest could fire United into title contention, with Solskjaer’s side sat fifth in the Premier League table at present with a game in hand on those above them.

    Pogba, who helped the Red Devils to a fifth successive away win of the season on Saturday as they staged another stirring fightback to beat West Ham 3-1 at the London Stadium, is looking for nothing less than perfection to be accepted by those at Old Trafford.

    The World Cup winner told MUTV on a winning mentality that needs to spread throughout an ambitious squad: “It has to be inside. I mean, always. We cannot afford to lose and be happy with a loss or a draw.

    “We have to be bad losers – that’s what we have to be – and always want to win. Even 1-0 or 6-5, we have to win. That’s what we want.”

    Two wins this week, to go with the one secured over West Ham, would have United establishing much-needed momentum heading into the hectic festive period.

    Pogba is aware of how important the Red Devils’ next two games are going to be in determining the direction in which Solskjaer’s side head from this point, with the 27-year-old midfielder adding: “For sure, we have two big games coming up.

    “We have Champions League [against Leipzig] and we have City. We know that those are two very important games, decisive games. 

    “We have to carry on this mentality of winning, always. That’s what the club is about and we want to carry on this and what we did in the second half [against West Ham].”

    Pogba recorded his first Premier League goal of the season against the Hammers, with a stunning 25-yard effort curled past Lukasz Fabianski after a moment of controversy that saw Dean Henderson pick out Bruno Fernandes with a long clearance that appeared to bend out of play.

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  • ‘Pogba can’t be happy at Man Utd’ – Didier Deschamps

    ‘Pogba can’t be happy at Man Utd’ – Didier Deschamps

    France manager Didier Deschamps says he doesn’t think Paul Pogba is happy with his current situation at Manchester United.

    The 27-year-old has struggled for consistent first-team minutes in recent months, with injury problems and a lack of fitness after testing positive for coronavirus among the contributory factors.

    Pogba has played 90 minutes just twice for United this season – in the Premier League defeats to Tottenham and Arsenal – and his only goal so far was against Brighton in the Carabao Cup.

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    He nevertheless played well for France during the last international break, but Deschamps admits he isn’t at his best at the moment.

    “I have no advice to give him,” Deschamps told a press conference. “He knows the group well. It has been a while since he played with his club.

    “He is in a situation at Manchester United where he cannot be satisfied with his playing time and his position. He is not in his best period.

    “The injuries came one after another, and Covid hit him pretty hard as well. He needs to find some rhythm.

    “Last month his game had been pretty good and consistent despite a lack of pace. He’s been playing since, but you can’t say he’s happy.

    “With me, there is no problem, I will make sure to manage him. It is never easy for a player in his situation. I’ll talk to him. He will tell me certain things, how he feels, and I will also tell him what I can see and feel.”

    Whether in or out of form, Pogba is rarely out of the headlines at United, and that has been the case in recent weeks.

    Comments from Juventus director Fabio Paratici sparked rumours he could be set to leave Old Trafford to return to his former club.

    However, former United defender Phil Neville has said he doesn’t think Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have a chance of winning the title without Pogba.

    “I still think it’s absolutely disgraceful that Pogba can’t get in that team,” Neville told Premier League Productions.

    “For United to win a league, for United to be successful, for United to play the style of football that Ole wants them to play, then Pogba has to play.

    “You can play one of them [Nemanja] Matic, Fred or [Scott] McTominay and then you play Pogba with Fernandes.”

  • ‘Pogba has been nothing but problems’ – Ince

    ‘Pogba has been nothing but problems’ – Ince

    Paul Pogba has been “nothing but problems” for Manchester United since returning to the club in 2016, says Paul Ince, will all concerned at Old Trafford now asking questions of where they go from this point.

    The Red Devils invested £89 million ($116m) in bringing a France international back onto their books, with their transfer record smashed when doing business with Juventus.

    Pogba’s capture was considered to be a quite a coup, with there plenty of potential in his game still to be unlocked.

    United have, however, been unable to bring the best out of an enigmatic 27-year-old, with regular questions being asked of his form and future.

    Pogba has become a World Cup winner during his second spell in England, but domestic struggles have contributed to the Red Devils being unable to kick on as a collective.

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    There is now no obvious role for an expensive asset within Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, with a place on the bench taken up in a 2-1 Champions League defeat at Istanbul Basaksehir, and Ince admits those on and off the field need to be mulling over their options.

    The former United midfielder told Ladbrokes: “I love Pogba. I think he’s a world-class player on his day. We saw that at Juventus. But since he’s come to Manchester United it’s been nothing but problems.

    “Under Jose Mourinho and things with his agent, there’s always something. His performances haven’t been up to scratch, the fans have almost gone against him.

    “If I was playing with him, I’d be saying ‘listen, you just go out there and play. Go out there and start performing. Once you start performing like you should be performing, then you can talk about wanting to sign for Real Madrid, because at the moment you can’t even get into the Man United side.”

    “If I’m Paul Pogba, I’m sitting on the bench thinking ‘hang on, I’ve got Fred, Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes all playing in midfield and I’m sat on the bench? There’s got to be something wrong with me.’

    “Man United is not about Paul Pogba.”

    Pogba has aired a desire to represent Real Madrid at some stage in his career, but United have taken up an extension option in his contract that is due to keep him in his current surroundings through to the summer of 2022.

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  • BREAKING: Paul Pogba tests positive for coronavirus

    BREAKING: Paul Pogba tests positive for coronavirus

    Manchester United midfielder, Paul Pogba, has tested positive for Coronavirus.

    This has led to the player being left out of France’s squad for the Nations League games against Sweden and Croatia.

    Pogba has been replaced by Eduardo Camavinga.

    The news was confirmed by Les Bleus head coach, Didier Deschamps, after he announced the squad for the games.

    “I had to make a last-minute change to this list, because Paul Pogba was planned to be in this list but unfortunately for him, he took a test (for COVID-19) yesterday which turned out to be positive today, so at the last minute he was replaced by Eduardo Camavinga,” Deschamps said.