Pogba's insulting Ronaldo wage demands
Carlo Garganese
- Updated: 10 Nov 2021 14:24 CST
- 3 min read
Adding insult to injury. That’s exactly how Manchester United fans will feel today about Paul Pogba following reports that he is demanding a contract with the same salary as Cristiano Ronaldo.
This comes just hours after Pogba was ruled out for up to 10 weeks with a thigh injury.
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Pogba picked up the problem during training as France were preparing for their World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Finland.
He sustained the injury during a shooting drill at Les Bleus’ Clairefontaine training centre.
The moment Paul Pogba injured himself in France training #mulive [@RMCsport] pic.twitter.com/vKxxxUU2ul
— utdreport (@utdreport) November 8, 2021
Pogba could miss 15 games for Man Utd and not return until the end of January. He will sit out vital matches this month against Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League, as well as the conclusion to the Champions League group stage.
This was the latest kick in the teeth for Man Utd fans who are rightly unsatisfied by the return on Pogba’s €105 million investment from Juventus in 2016.
Although the 28-year-old has had flashes of genius, he has been inconsistent, injury-prone and often a tactical problem.
Having been billed as the saviour and leader of this Man Utd team upon his return, the Red Devils have never been close to winning one of the two major trophies; the Premier League or Champions League.
When does Pogba’s Man Utd contract expire?
Pogba’s contract expires at the end of the season and until now there has been little progress made over a renewal, with one of Juventus, PSG or Real Madrid expected to snap him on a Bosman next summer.
However, L’Equipe reported on Wednesday that Pogba has told Man Utd he wants to stay at the club providing they pay him the same salary as Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo is currently earning a whopping €30m a year, while Pogba is on €17.4m.
This new salary would make Pogba the joint-highest earner in the Premier League.
It’s a salary that a fit and healthy Pogba playing at the very peak of his powers would find hard to justify, let alone a crocked, unmotivated and out-of-form player who will turn 29 in March.
The Daily Mirror understands that Man Utd want to have Pogba’s contract situation sorted one way or another by January, which is when he will be able to negotiate with other clubs.
There is surely no chance of Man Utd throwing away €30m a year on a new Pogba contract.
