Manchester United aren’t allowed to have any prolonged period of calm and happiness right now. Good moments on the pitch seem to be quickly met by bad ones, and the surrounding circus of football often throws extra irritants into the mix.
During the last international break, Paul Pogba was quizzed about his future and again encouraged talk of a move to Real Madrid.
The midfielder has been linked with Los Blancos repeatedly in recent years, and whilst it doesn’t seem like there’s a great effort coming from Zinedine Zidane’s side, he isn’t scared of speaking about the club being a dream move.
Pogba hasn’t yet spoken during the current break, but Didier Deschamps has, and the France manager has come out with quotes which surely won’t be welcome at Manchester United.
During a press conference on Monday, Deschamps was asked about Pogba’s current situation, and is quoted by France Football as saying: “Paul, I know him well and he knows the group well. He is in a situation with his club where he cannot be happy, neither with his playing time, nor with his positioning.
“He is not in his best period, he has had a series of injuries and the Covid-19 which has hit him quite hard. He needs to find his rhythm. The match he had to make last month was good and consistent despite a lack of pace. We cannot however say that he is fulfilled in what he does at his club.
“With me, there is no such concern, but I try to manage it too. When a player is in discomfort in his club, obviously, he is happy to play for the France team. He will tell me about his feelings and as I know him very well, it will go in a positive direction. Even if it is also up to him to make all his efforts.”
That, clearly, doesn’t sound great from a Manchester United perspective.