Paul Pogba ready for new challenge away from Manchester United

Paul Pogba puts clubs on alert as his comments cast doubt about his future at Manchester United.

Paul Pogba returned to Manchester United back in 2016 from Juventus and everyone saw it as a homecoming of sorts. Three years removed, that homecoming has since soured and now a move away is in the cards.

Pogba himself admits that a change of scenery may be what’s best for his future. At an event in Tokyo, he was asked about his future by reporters.

According to The Guardian, he responded, “There is a lot of thinking going on. I have been three years in Manchester and have been doing great – some good moments and some bad moments, like everybody, like everywhere else. After this season and everything that happened, with my season being my best season . . . it could be a good time to have a new challenge somewhere else.”

This is the first time that Paul Pogba has been public with his desire for a move away from Manchester. The timing may be weird but it should not come as a surprise. His time at Manchester United has faced its share of ups and downs.

He was brought in to be the centerpiece of a revamped midfield. However, he’s been largely inconsistent and, unfairly, been handed a lot of the blame in United’s recent struggles. There’s also the elephant in the room with regards to his relationship with former manager, Jose Mourinho.

Their relationship quickly soured with Mourinho still preferring to play conservative, defense-minded football but possessing rather poor defenders. With United leaking goals, Pogba faced criticisms that he was lackadaisical tracking back and that he should be performing better given his transfer fee.

The criticism even went beyond on-the-field performance. Pundits who played the sport decades ago went in on Pogba because of his personal choices such as his haircut and use of social media.

Manchester United remain adamant on keeping the Frenchman and rebuilding the midfield around him. According to the BBC, despite his comments, the club are under the impression that he will remain at Old Trafford come next season.

One reason he may be stuck in Manchester is there are only a few clubs who could pay what Man United would ask. Those clubs being Real Madrid, Juventus, and PSG. The first two have been linked with a move for him for a while. Pogba would relish playing under Zinedine Zidane and would not mind going back to Juventus where he had the most successful time of his career.

The problem is that their midfields are stacked with talented players already and said players don’t look like they will be sold unless someone comes in with an offer too good to refuse.

With no Champions League football next season, Manchester United will need to overpay to attract players. The brand of Manchester United is not enough anymore. Should they lose Paul Pogba, their rebuild becomes a lot more complicated.