Manchester United have accepted Pogba will leave for free in the summer

Manchester United tried everything possible to convince Paul Pogba to stay at Old Trafford and sign a new contract. Only, according to ESPN, the French midfielder is definitely not planning to do that and will leave for free in the summer. Even the club itself is reportedly resigned to that.

When he wants and has his day, he is without a doubt one of the best, if not the best midfielder in the world. It’s just that Pogba doesn’t seem to be enjoying it at Manchester United and looking at his performances on the pitch hurts at the heart of perhaps every Red Devils fan.

Yet it was a great glory when Pogba returned to Manchester. Juventus shelled out a then record €105 million for him in 2016. And it was he who was to drag his beloved club into a new and successful era under Ferguson.

Only, nothing ever properly came of it and Pogba’s frustration was increasingly evident. Personally, I put him in the same bag as, say, Neymar. Even the Brazilian striker could be indelibly written in the history charts, just like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

However, Pogba and Neymar cannot be expected to do so, as their lifestyle is more important than the sport itself that brought them their immense wealth. It’s a great pity though, as they are both capable of amazing things.

Here, I would certainly like to recall the legendary night when Pogba refused to watch Manchester City celebrate the title, and with two goals he levelled the match at 2-2. Chris Smalling then sealed the Red Devils’ victory in the 69th minute.

This is exactly the kind of Pogba the fans would like to see regularly at Old Trafford. Only they probably won’t get that now that ESPN has confirmed that Manchester United have given up the fight for a contract extension.

A possible new coach to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could still have a say in this saga. And if Antonio Conte were to become that coach, there is a good chance Pogba would stay.

It was the 52-year-old coach who was behind the French world champion’s rise at Juventus and given that Conte is a ‘guarantee of success’ and his style suits him with players of his type being given a lot of space, there is a strong chance of him staying in my opinion.

But if that doesn’t happen, Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly the most interested in Pogba. Should one of these three big clubs offer a reasonable amount for the French midfielder, his departure is of course possible as early as January.

Source: ESPN