Paul Pogba and Manchester United show how far Liverpool really are

Soccer super agent Mina Raiola got undone Monday afternoon.

“I can say that it is over for Paul Pogba and Manchester United,” he declared in an interview with the Italian website Tuttosport, and in the process he dealt a severe blow to Liverpool rivals at a time when they are just beginning to believe that they could really compete. with the Reds.

Pogba, of course, just scored a surprising draw in a win from behind against West Ham and despite enduring an inconsistent period since his then £ 90 million world record in Manchester in 2016, many United observers still rate him. as one of their best players when available.

So why should Liverpool care about Pogba’s efforts to engineer a move away from Old Trafford?

At first glance, they shouldn’t. Aside from perhaps another chance to smile at United’s misfortune.

But while a certain number of United fans may happily bid farewell to a player who makes more headlines than most, their desire to leave says a lot about their position as a club.

At a time when Liverpool reign in the Premier League and are world champions, it underscores how much the playing field has changed from bitter rivals the Reds.

Because Liverpool know everything about what is happening at Old Trafford.

In fact, several players have allowed their agents to declare their interest in picking up sticks and leaving the Reds at a vital moment.

Liverpool were starting to heat up with Jurgen Klopp when Philippe Coutinho, so crucial to what the Reds had been up to, forced his way out of the club in January 2018.

Four years earlier, Luis Suárez had designed a way out after Liverpool finished second and was progressing with Brendan Rodgers.

Suárez had replaced Fernando Torres at Anfield after the Spaniard grew tired of the turmoil at the club and forced him to move to Chelsea.

Xabi Alonso was before him and Michael Owen before him.

Even Steven Gerrard flirted with Chelsea.

But since allowing Coutinho to join Barcelona for £ 144m, Klopp has presided over the more stable stint at Anfield for 30 years.

Now there have been great transfer sagas involving Liverpool players and no one moves on the eve of big games the way Pogba did before United’s crucial Champions League showdown against RB Leipzig.

Liverpool can no longer take Paul Pogba’s problems. Players are bought and sold only when Klopp and sporting director Michael Edwards wish.

And agents like Raiola are avoided when possible.

Even a player like Gini Wijnaldum, whose contract expires next summer, wouldn’t dream of shaking the boat. Such is the consideration you have for your manager.

Klopp’s personality and subsequent accomplishments ensure that his squad is in, even when they might be dating.

It’s a problem Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have to overcome until he gets the biggest cutlery, which will make life a bit more difficult for the United manager and ensure the odds continue to stack in Liverpool’s favor.

Make no mistake, Solskjaer is the one who will have to pick up the pieces behind Raiola’s hand grenade.

Liverpool, on the other hand, have dealt with Wijnaldum’s own uncertainty very differently.

While Pogba has made his feelings about the place he currently calls home clear, Wijnaldum may still be thinking hard about his next move.

Signed in the same summer as the World Cup-winning Frenchman, Wijnaldum’s takeover of relegated Newcastle might even have seemed a bit costly after Liverpool paid £ 25 million for his services.

And that’s at a time when United were willing to shell out £ 90 million for a midfielder of their own.

Two very different agreements and two very different results.

Because despite all the hype for Pogba, there is one thing he hasn’t been able to do since he came to United, and that constantly shows his quality.

Wijnaldum, on the other hand, can score less than the wonderful goals seen against Wolves in a red jersey, but he’s just as reliable as the players.

This is why Liverpool got the best deal and also why the Reds are not giving up on getting him tied to a new contract.

Both Wijnaldum and Klopp encouraged the idea of ​​a contract extension after the Wolves, in contrast to Pogba, who seems willing to leave Old Trafford before he can leave for nothing in 2022.

And perhaps Wijnaldum would do well to listen to a revered man at Old Trafford.

Because Paul Scholes could be onto something.

“Why would I want to leave this place?” Scholes said on Amazon Prime’s live coverage of Liverpool’s win over the Wolves.

“With the way this team is playing, they are playing every week.

“I know there was a bit of talk about Barcelona, ​​but it never came out. Why would you want to leave a football club like this? I think they will win the league again and it is an exciting team to play.”

Scholes added: “It’s definitely a better option here.

“I think he could be a Barcelona player, don’t get me wrong, I think he could fit their ways, but they are fighting so why leave a place like this?

“Barcelona is a huge club and the Dutch connection will always be great there, and with Koeman as coach, for how long, who knows? You can see it’s a temptation for him, but why would you leave such an exciting team? “

Scholes may not like it, but the same cannot be said for Pogba and Manchester United.