Former England striker Peter Crouch has shared his verdict on Paul Pogba’s situation at Manchester United while replying to a question in his Daily Mail column.
Last week, Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, dropped a huge bombshell claiming that the Frenchman won’t extend his deal at the Old Trafford club, hinting that his future lies away from the Premier League club.
The 27-year-old struggled to make an impact under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but he has been playing well in recent matches. While he is yet to return to his best form, Pogba is, at least, showing some consistency which should delight the United boss.
Pogba started in the Manchester derby that ended 0-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday. After the match, he took to Instagram to address the situation, claiming he is ‘1000%’ committed to the club.
United covered Pogba’s Instagram post on their website, and it drew a positive reaction from a host of his teammates.
Crouch suggests that United players are not bothered with what Raiola has said about Pogba. He claims that he has heard about how Pogba has been very professional in training and that he is well-liked in the squad.
I hear from plenty of people, David, that Pogba is well-liked in the United squad. I also hear that he has never been a problem in training and continues to do his work, so I don’t expect there will be one issue with his team-mates.
If anything, I’d say they will be taking the p*** out of him.
Players don’t tend to notice to someone’s agent speaking in the media. The issue would come if the player downed tools, started treating other colleagues disrespectfully and failed to show up on time for training.
If an individual crosses that line, it is a long way back.
United’s players will not be losing sleep about Mino Raiola’s comments, but the one thing that needs to happen for the club is for this situation to be sorted. It’s a sideshow and a clean break would be best for all.
Crouch is spot on
This issue shouldn’t bother any United player. Pogba has a good rapport with his teammates, and he hasn’t shown any disrespect to the club and to his teammates.
Having said that, United must handle his situation properly as they simply cannot allow his agent to make headlines every now and then.
He hasn’t done enough to justify the amount United spent on him, and the French midfielder should focus on improving his performance.
That he is a world-class player has never been in doubt. However, consistency has been missing in his game at Old Trafford, especially in the last 18 months.
Meanwhile, the Europa League last-32 fixtures are out, and Manchester United will face David Silva’s La Liga leaders Real Sociedad when the competition resumes in February.
