It is believed Pogba is no longer interested in plying his trade at Old Trafford with his eyes already turned towards the Santiago Bernabeu. In fact, that piece of news led to reports that the Red Devils were eager to sell the Frenchman this summer to avoid losing him for free.
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hoping that if United win trophies, it might persuade Paul Pogba to renew his contract at Old Trafford.
There have been upheavals at Manchester United since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. The team has gone through more managers since 2013 than it has in the previous 26 years.
Since the Scotsman left, trophies have been hard to come by. Of the five managers that have managed the club following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, only two have managed to bring in silverware to the club.
Louis van Gaal won an FA Cup, while Jose Mourinho won the Europa League, Carabao Cup and the Community Shield. Mourinho’s era was the club’s most successful since Ferguson. David Moyes, Ryan Giggs and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer all failed to win any silverware.
Solskjaer lost four semifinals and the Europa League final to Villarreal. Solskjaer is famous for his constant use of DNA to refer to the United way, and that trophies are for egos.
Since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Solskjaer has been singing a new tune as he now thinks that trophies are no longer for egos.
Ole hopes to persuade Pogba with trophies
The last time Manchester United won the league was in 2013 under Ferguson, and the last time they won any trophy of any shade was in 2017 under Jose Mourinho. It’s been near misses and outright bottling of title defining games since.
With a heavy outlay of cash on the team, ESPN report that Solskjaer is hoping that the team can now start winning trophies. In retrospect, the Norwegian manager hopes it would be enough to convince Pogba that he is at the right club.
The Frenchman is still to accede to a contract extension, keeping his options open. In January, he would be free to negotiate with other clubs, and it has been rumoured that his preferred destination is Real Madrid. Former club Juventus are also interested in his services.
Can United win silverware this season?
Manchester United pulled out the stops to boost their squad with world-class players. Despite the denials of Gary Neville and a few other TV pundits, Manchester United have a team that puts them in the echelons of title contenders.
The arrival of Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo means that there should be no more excuses for Solskjaer.
Speaking at a news conference in Bern on Monday, Solskjaer said it is now up to the team to get results. He said they have to prove they can win trophies.
He also played down Pogba’s statistics and hoped the quality around the World Cup winner would count for something to convince him to stay.
Manchester United currently sit at the top of the premiership table with a superior goal difference over Chelsea.
By :
Steven D. Thompson
