Paul Merson on Paul Pogba: Go Play Pool If You Want To Be About You | Football news

Paul Merson believes that Paul Pogba would have had knowledge of Mino Raiola’s statement about his happiness at Manchester United, and encouraged the Frenchman to “go play pool” if he wanted the game to focus on him.

Pogba’s agent says he “needs a change of scenery” and Manchester United should consider getting rid of him or face the possibility of losing him in a free transfer because they have no intention of extending his current contract.

Merson believes the statement will come in light of a team registering its interest in Pogba with Raiola, and says things have not worked out at Old Trafford because United are not dominating the games and cannot make him the center of attention. .

Soccer doesn’t fit? Go play pool!

In light of Raiola saying Pogba “can’t express himself how he wants to” at Old Trafford, Merson insists Pogba is part of a team and that he should play an individual sport if he wants glory.

“Raiola says the style of soccer doesn’t suit him. He’s playing on a soccer team. He’s not a pool player. He plays with 10 other players. You join a team.

“Not that Manchester United is the most defensive team you’ve ever seen. Look at Tottenham! I don’t hear Harry Kane and Son groaning. Go play pool if you want it to be all about you.”

“He knew the statement was going to come out. He’s his agent. He may play dumb, turn around and say he didn’t know, but of course he knows. He’ll also know there’s a club interested in him. Raiola I would have talked to a club that is interested in Paul Pogba.

“They’re not going to get bogged down saying, ‘Paul wants to leave’ and then no one comes for him. Everything is already fixed on Pogba’s side!

“An agent does not come out and says that a player wants to leave without interest. Pogba knows very well what his agent is doing: Raiola has a club for him. You keep hearing that Ronaldo will return to Man United. He yells: Pogba for Ronaldo?”

Why didn’t you click for Pogba

Merson continued: “It really hasn’t worked for him. The boy can play, I’ve seen him at Juventus and with France, you don’t win a World Cup if you can’t play.

“When I was playing for Juventus, they dominated every football game they played in. They had 70 percent of the ball, and you’re going to touch it 40, 50 times more than in Man Utd, so you’re going to do three or four good things. more in a game.

“When you are so talented and you touch the ball 100 times, you are going to make things happen. But not everything happens because of Paul Pogba. Man Utd does not dominate the games like Juventus did, and that means he is under great pressure to make things happen.

“It’s confidence. We can all say, ‘Is Paul Pogba that good?’ Everything is confidence, the boy can play, but we never talk about his confidence.

“Is Bruno Fernandes a better player than Paul Pogba? Technically not. But at the moment it seems so. He is playing with absolute freedom, with all the confidence in the world.”

“Some places just don’t work for people. There is always a ‘setting’ for a player, where you enjoy your football, but with Pogba, from day one it just doesn’t look good.”

Carra: Pogba is not worth it.

Speaking of Monday Night Football, Jamie carragher labeled Pogba and Raiola a “disgrace” and urged Manchester United to move the Frenchman as soon as possible.

“Get rid of it. I’ve been saying this for 12 months. He’s the most overrated player I’ve ever seen. I think they’re both a shame. We’ll all blame the agent now and say: Ask Pogba, what does he think?

“Agents in this day and age are not just agents. They are parents, they are a best friend, they are a financial advisor, they book vacations, they go together.

“He will be Pogba’s best friend, so Pogba will be very aware of what will come out of his mouth, and if it weren’t, he should fire his agent. It’s very simple. That’s all that needs to happen.”

“With Cristiano Ronaldo at United, there was always talk that he was going to Real Madrid and almost everyone knew that he was going to go to Madrid at some point.

“Man United had to put up with it because he was worth it. Pogba is not worth it. Get rid of him.”
The problem for United, according to Carragher, will be finding a suitable suitor for the 27-year-old.

“There is no possibility in the world that Real Madrid or Barcelona buy it,” he added.

“I was already stunned today by Arsenal’s performance, but I’ll be stunned again if they come for him. I wouldn’t go near him.”

‘One step forward, two steps back for Pogba’

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The most recent use of the media by Mino Raiola to alert suitors of Paul Pogba’s availability is noticeable at the time. Less than a month away from the January transfer window and less than 48 hours after the midfielder had produced his first decent 45 minutes in a Manchester United jersey this season.

Pogba, along with his teammates, had been sad against West Ham in the first half. But a stroke of good luck turned the game in United’s favor, with Dean Henderson’s punt seeming to come back into play before Pogba finished off a pass from Bruno Fernandes for the first time.

He unleashed a 13-minute purple period for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team with Pogba leading the way. In the end, he had made more touches (121) and completed more passes (91) than any other player.

But what should have prompted viewers to revise their take on Pogba’s value to this United team, and his value in being included early on in Tuesday night’s crucial Champions League match against RB Leipzig has been overshadowed by his agent’s latest outburst.

In the London stadium there was wavering evidence against dissenters that Pogba and Fernandes could not play together. The Portuguese passed Pogba seven times, more than any other teammate, while Pogba only completed more passes to Aaron Wan-Bissaka (15) than the 11 he left to Fernandes.

This should have again sparked debate over whether the pair can make up two-thirds of United’s three in midfield, but the focus is on an old agenda.

The 2018 World Cup winner has been in shape for some time after ankle surgery earlier this year, as well as a positive Covid test, but has become a minor player at United.

French coach Didier Deschamps spoke last month of how the 27-year-old ‘cannot be happy’ with his situation at the club, a week after the player himself acknowledged his ‘stupid mistake’ in conceding the penalty that condemned the United to their first home. loss to Arsenal since 2006.

Pogba’s talent is undoubted, making a fleeting return at West Ham, but during his second stint at Old Trafford it has been a story of one step forward, two steps back.