Liverpool legend Steve McManaman has backed Manchester United contract rebel Paul Pogba to succeed at Real Madrid.
In an interview with Horseracing.net, as quoted by Football 365, Steve McManaman has claimed that Real Madrid should not think twice before signing Paul Pogba. The Liverpool legend has backed the Manchester United contract rebel to succeed at Real Madrid, claiming he can be an absolute superstar playing for the Spanish giants.
Pogba is currently in his second stint with Manchester United, having made a popular return to Old Trafford from Juventus in the summer of 2016. However, it is fair to say that the transfer has not been a resounding success, even though the Red Devils had shattered their transfer record to land the Frenchman.
The 28-year-old has always reserved his best form for his national side, winning the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Nations League while playing a key role in each of France’s triumphant campaigns. However, at the club level, Pogba has blown hot and cold with frustrating consistency with the same being the case this season.
Pogba started the 2021/22 season strongly, delivering seven assists in the first four games that Manchester United played. However, since then, his form has tailed off incredibly, with Pogba being one of the worst-performing players for Manchester United, thereby copping flak from pundits and fans alike.
Manchester United have also been advised to end contract talks with Pogba, even as recent reports claim that he could be open to signing a new deal before his current contract expires next summer. And now, Liverpool legend Steve McManaman has backed Pogba to succeed at Real Madrid.
“It’s an easy move for Real Madrid to take him. You’re getting him on a free so you’re really not taking much of a gamble. So you take into account what you have in the team – they’ve got Luka Modric who’s 36, Toni Kroos is into his thirties, Casemiro will be 30 in February. That’s what you’re looking at. Of course you’ve got a number of players in and around the squad as well. I don’t think it would be a big issue to bring Pogba in.”
“Is he playing well enough at the moment? No, of course not. That’s an easy thing to say. He was poor when he came on against Liverpool, against Atalanta he was really slow and got caught lots of times so his form hasn’t been good enough to walk into a Real Madrid team. But saying that, he has had levels of form in the past, at Juventus and for France.”
“He may feel a change is better for him and the fact that he’s on a free, there’ll be plenty of clubs who will want to take him. No problem at all. I don’t know whether the current United team plays to his strengths but if he goes to Real Madrid, they might. And if he’s got Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland in front of him he could still be an absolute superstar there.”
Real Madrid have been heavily linked with Pogba for years, with his agent Mino Raiola pushing the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner to join the Spanish giants, as per recent reports. However, the competition for his signature will be intense if he leaves Manchester United, and it will be interesting to see where he lands next summer.