Manchester United: Agent provides huge update on the future of superstar
Manchester United have endured a lacklustre transfer window so far.
He is known as one of the best in the business, one who possesses one of the most prominent intellects in the footballing world, one who has been given the status of ‘Super-Agent’ in today’s financially-stubborn world, and one capable of pulling strings and making unexpected things plausible.
He is Mino Raiola — the one and only agent who looks after the contractual situations of more than 70 football players (as per a study presented by Forbes) across the globe, keeping tabs on his clients’ moods and sometimes publically proclaiming their desire to move out of a club, as was the case for the current Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba a few months ago.
Getting faded by unwanted criticism, Paul Pogba was that close to ending his life at Manchester last summer. However, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plea to the player convinced him to stay put at the Mancunian club for what, at that moment, seemed to be one more season.
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And now, with twelve months gone, we have got the clearer picture regarding Pogba’s future at Manchester United. The 2019-20 season, however, was never a smooth ride for the player or the club.
With Pogba missing around 36 matches across all competitions due to a long-standing knee injury from December 20th of 2019 to March 31st of 2020, Solskjaer used to answer more than one questions encircling Pogba’s commitment towards the Manchester-based clubs in every pre and post-match press conference.
Along the way, there was even a cold war going on between Mino Raiola and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then came a point when Pogba’s departure seemed to be a matter of time. Thereafter, COVID-19 hit the world and provided Manchester with the blessings they needed to win Pogba’s case.
Following the resumption of games in the UK, Pogba made his return from the injury, helping United earn the penalty in his comeback game against Tottenham Hotspur last June, making the appearance this time as a 63rd-minute substitute.
His attributes, alongside United’s January acquisition Bruno Fernandes, helped United secure the third spot in the Premier League table, meaning Paul Pogba and his peers will play in the Champions League next season.
Despite having scored only once and provided four assists from 22 appearances across all competitions, Pogba has had proved his traits to the manger, demonstrating how important he was for the latter part of the season at the heart of United’s midfield.
Not only has Mino Raiola now gone on to confirm that he will stay at United, but he has also hinted at the fact that there have been talks of a contract renewal with the club in the current circumstances. Raiola, in an interview, revealed:
"“Pogba is key player for Man United, they have an important project and he’s 100 per cent included. Man Utd will not accept any bid on this summer to sell Pogba.“He is not the type to make controversy, especially in a moment where you have to stay calm and see how it turns out. We will deal with the renewal calmly, without stress. We will continue to talk about it.”"
Although Pogba’s stay at Manchester currently looks imminent, United, as a club, have not made any significant progress in the ongoing summer transfer window.
In order to put some challenge in front of the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City — who are believed to be miles ahead of Solskjaer’s club, Manchester United undoubtedly need to make acquisitions.
It has been touted that United have targetted three signings this summer, though there is no real development yet. Should United finish the market empty-handed, the board might get loads of stick from the fans and an eye-catching figure such as Pogba might think twice before penning down his signature on the renewal.
Next. United should be looking to sign this really exciting star. dark
How many signings do you think Manchester United will successfully conduct this summer?