Mino Raiola on Monday did what he’s done many times before, caused annoyance for a club where one of his clients plays.
The agent said Paul Pogba’s time at Manchester United is over, and explained the midfielder is unhappy at Old Trafford and a transfer is desired.
So bad is the situation, that Raiola insists the Frenchman ‘has to change teams’ and he feels it’s best if the transfer happens during the January market. Pogba doesn’t have the intention to renew his contract, and the agent is clearly ready to put pressure on the Premier League club.
Monday also saw the draw for qualifying groups ahead of the 2022 World Cup, and France were picked out alongside Ukraine, Finland, Bosnia and Kazakhstan. Didier Deschamps has since been speaking to the media and was asked about Raiola’s earlier comments.
The France manager responded, as quoted by Frederic Calenge: “If I start to react to the words of the players’ agents, their uncle, their grandmother or their dog…”
That makes it clear that Deschamps doesn’t want to get drawn into Raiola’s games, but the manager has himself spoken about Pogba’s Manchester United troubles on multiple occasions this year.
This time, he clearly didn’t want to play.