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Manchester United can’t beat Real Madrid for Paul Pogba

By Rucker Haringey

TURIN, ITALY - MAY 01: Paul Pogba (L) of Juventus FC is challenged by Marco Crimi of Carpi FC during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and Carpi FC at Juventus Arena on May 1, 2016 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY - MAY 01: Paul Pogba (L) of Juventus FC is challenged by Marco Crimi of Carpi FC during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and Carpi FC at Juventus Arena on May 1, 2016 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) /
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Manchester United fans need to face the unfortunate reality that their club can’t defeat Real Madrid in the race for Paul Pogba

Manchester United fans that have their hopes up about securing Paul Pogba’s services this summer need a harsh dose of reality. If Real Madrid really want to win the war for the French star, United will be powerless to stop them.

The Guardian reports that Manchester United are squarely in the race for Pogba, but they trail Real Madrid. It’s thought that Pogba prefers a move to the Bernabeu to an Old Trafford return. Both teams are likely willing to meet Juventus’ proposed transfer fee for the supremely talented midfielder, and his wage demands shouldn’t be a problem for either club.

Manchester United aren’t used to entering a transfer race where they don’t have any clear advantages. Usually the Premier League giants can at least take comfort in the fact that they have either a financial or talent advantage over their competitors. In this case, they’re armed with neither.

Financially, Real Madrid have shown over and over again that they can compete with any club in the world. If they really want to make the biggest bid for Pogba, United will be powerless to stop them. That’s a strange reality for United fans.

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On the pitch, the gap between the two clubs might be even larger. If you compare the talent on the two squads, Madrid wins by quite a wide margin. They are blessed with world-class superstars in their prime like Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. That sort of talent will be a huge attraction for a talent like Pogba.

United’s biggest names on the roster currently are Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. They do have better players on the roster, but they lack the experience or global name recognition as either Rooney or Ibra. Clearly, neither of those two men are anywhere near their prime. Pogba will know that if he moves to United he will be the only world-class player in his prime. Rooney and Ibrahimovic are too old, while the likes of Rashford and Martial need to grow into that sort of role.

Some United fans might try to point to the vast tradition of the club as an advantage in the transfer race. Unfortunately for those people, club tradition just doesn’t matter much to today’s superstars. If it did, perhaps Leeds United would still be in the Premier League. It makes some difference to an occasional transfer target, but mostly it’s about money and the ability to win silverware these days. Real Madrid has a huge advantage over Manchester United in both categories.

Related Story: Pogba's agent wants a bidding war

If Manchester United want to acquire Paul Pogba, they need to fervently hope that Real Madrid decide they aren’t really interested in bringing the French talisman to La Liga. Absent of Real Madrid leaving the race, there’s no real way that United can win the battle for the midfield star.

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